Quil and Claire: The perfect two
by Carlee Adison
Summary: Part I and II of the Quil and Claire series. If imprinting puts you with your perfect match then why do things never work out perfectly? Between moody new wolves, insane vampires, and a million more issues, how can this relationship survive? The story of Quil and Claire, along with new and old friends. M for language, fighting, and some adult content. NOW INCLUDES ELIZA'S STORY.
1. Part I: Surprise!

**Authors Note: Hey guys! This is my first story on the site, but not my first story I've written in the Twilight world. My private one is a Jacob and Renesmee Story, this is a companion story I guess you could say. All you need to know to follow is that there are some new wolves in the pack and the Cullens took in a vampire named Annie, who Seth is dating. I hope you enjoy the story, I promise to update often. **

**JAN. 2014 UPDATED AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I'm not gonna lie, the first few chapters of this story SUCK. Honestly, I cringe reading them up until somewhere around chapter 10. If you stick with the story you'll find that it gets MUCH better as you go on. Please don't give up on this fic after chapter one! –Carlee**

_Quil _

"Honestly Quil," Emily whispered to me as we watched Sam cut the cake. "I'm not going to give you any trouble about this. Sam and I have talked a lot about this, and you're lucky that we're her legal guardians now, because we know what it's like when you imprint on someone."

"What are you saying Emily?" I asked her.

"I'm saying," She started, "That Claire is sixteen years old now. And we're giving her to you. I mean, not completely of course, she's practically my daughter and it would break my heart to lose her. But, Sam and I decided that you can tell her everything. As much as you want. About werewolves, vampires . . . imprinting."

"You- you're serious?" My mouth slid open in disbelief. "You're just going to let me have her, no throwing a fit? No forbidding me to see her? Sam's not even going to give me a long lecture about being careful with his niece?"

"No fits here," She smiled. "And he _knows_ that you'd never harm his Claire, or your Claire, or I guess she's _our _Claire." Emily shook her head slowly and looked up at the sky. "But there are some conditions, I need to see her at least four times a week, even if she doesn't spend any nights with us. And if she spends nights with you, she is never going to miss school and she is always going to be on time. And also, it would be outrageous to lecture you about the sex before marriage thing. It seems that people who imprint just can't follow that. Sam and I didn't. Either did Paul and Rachel. We all know Jared and Kim didn't, and don't even get me started on Jacob and Nessie. God, just promise me you won't be nearly as umm, _frequent_ as them."

"I don't think anyone could be as frequent as them." I cracked a smile.

"You love her, and I think it's obvious know that she feels the same way. Just be careful with her. She's young." She said in a final tone, as if she had said all she needed to.

"Wow. Thank you . . ." Was all I could say. My mind was too jumbled to say more. Her dad had left eleven years ago and her Mom passed away seven years ago, so Sam and Emily had practically become Claire and her fourteen year old sister Eliza's parents. And here they were, just giving Claire to me, no strings attached. But I wasn't ready for that . . . There were so many horrible things that could happen. She could be frightened by the truth of what I was, what Sam used to be, what we all were . . . I could forget to be gentle with her one day and do God knows what to her. God forbid I got her pregnant when she was barely sixteen. I could lose control, just like Sam had almost sixteen years ago.

I shuddered at the thought of that. I stared hopelessly at Claire as she put a forkful of cake in to her mouth. She swallowed and then looked up and caught me staring at her. I don't know what my face looked like, but it changed her expression instantly to one of worry. _What's wrong_, she mouthed.

I shook my head, _nothing, I'm fine_, I mouthed back. Which of course, I wasn't. I wasn't fine at all. How the hell would I even begin to tell her? How could I even make her _begin_ to understand how much I loved her? Could she even look at me that way?

Apparently, she could. Because I continued to stare stupidly at her, and she didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she was staring back at me. And I recognized the look in her eyes, because I'm sure it mirrored the look I was giving her.

It took all of my willpower to not sprint over there as fast as humanly possible and pull her in to my arms. I wanted to trap her face against mine and kiss her with as much passion as I could. And I didn't want to stop.

The scary part was, it looked like she wanted me to do all of those things and more . . . And I would. I broke off the staring contest, turning around and sprinting toward the trees. Once I was in the familiar green light of the forest, I removed my clothes and attached them to my ankle. Then I let my skin explode off of my body.

_I thought you were supposed to be at Claire's party. _Mia commented. Then I saw my tangled thoughts in her head as she took in what had happened. _Oh, wow. Why are you freaking? Isn't that a good thing? _

_Quil, hey. Why did you just run off like that? It was kinda bizarre. _Seth.

_I don't know _why_ I thought this would be any better than human form . . ._ I thought.

Seth seemed to take in what Mia had. Then he was silent for a moment as he processed this. _I agree with Mia. Isn't that a _good_ thing?_

_Ugh! You wouldn't understand. Claire isn't Annie, Seth. She isn't indestructible. There are so many things that could happen to Claire. And I don't know what I'd do if . . . _

_Quil, stop it_. Mia thought. _You're torturing yourself with all of these little _"what ifs" _. . ._

_The only torture right now is the fact that you two are here and you won't shut up. _

_Hey guys, Quil are you okay? I just saw you talking to Emily and then you took off. _I swore when Embry entered my head.

_God! If we're all going to talk about this, can we _not_ do it with all of you in my head! _

_Fine, we'll come find you. Stop running away. _Mia ordered. Because we all took orders from a fifteen year old girl _so_ often.

_Shut up._ She growled before I felt her thoughts drift away.

_I'll see you in about five seconds. _Seth disappeared too.

Embry, who had been updating himself on what he had missed finally caught up to speed. Before I could hear what he thought of it, he left me. Then I was alone in the silence of my head. I huffed before phasing back. Just as I pulled up my jeans I was bombarded.

"You kept running," Mia observed.

"I'm stopped now, aren't I?" I snapped back. Seth, Mia, and Embry sat in a semi-circle on the forest floor and motioned me towards them.

"So what's the deal? Why aren't you totally jazzed? Emily is practically giving you Claire on a silver platter!" Embry said.

"Em, bad choice of words," Mia scolded quietly. I just shook my head.

"I feel kind of sick, like I'm going to throw up." I whispered.

"Are you nervous to tell her about what you are? You don't seriously think that you'll scare her off do you? She's a brave girl, Quil." Mia offered.

"And if you're scared that she'll turn you down, you're just being ridiculous." Seth tried to assure me.

"What is there to be scared of?" Embry asked.

"Everything!" I shouted. "Absolutely everything! What if I can't control myself? What if she got hurt? What if the thought of werewolves and vampires traumatizes her? What if she's pissed off that I never told her sooner? What if she can't think of me as anything more than a brother? What if-"

"Quil, breathe! Your not breathing," Seth flicked me. I put my elbows on my knees and then put my face in my hands and tried not to hyperventilate.

"Emily and Sam trust me _so_ much. If I let them down . . ." I shuddered.

"So . . . what are you going to do about Claire?" Mia raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing right now. I'll just- I'll just pretend things are the same. I'll just act like nothing has changed. And when the time is right, then I'll tell her."

"No you won't, Quil. You'll never tell her because you're a coward. You will spend the rest of her life torturing yourself, waiting for the 'right moment.' But with love, there is never the perfect movie moment. You just do things. And if you make some mistakes, have some regrets, hey that's life." Embry said.

"Yes, you know all about love, because you and Lilly are _so_ involved." I snapped.

"_Lilly,_" He clenched his teeth, "Is barely fourteen. Last time I checked, Claire is a good two hundred yards away, celebrating her _sixteenth _birthday."

"Wait, how are we _that_ close?" I asked, momentarily distracted.

"You were running in circles, I guess you didn't want to be too far from Claire." Seth shrugged. Then my heart jumped out of my throat as I heard another pair of footsteps approaching.

"Quil?" Claire called. "Where are you? And what the hell are you doing in the forest? It's creepy in here."

"We're over here Claire," Mia answered back immediately. "Come to the sound of my voice." I flipped her off. Mia shrugged.

"Mia?" I heard confusion in Claire's voice. And then she was there, about fifteen feet to my right.

Of course she had to be wearing red. The color she looked the most beautiful in . . . Emily had probably picked out that dress for Claire, specifically for that reason. Couldn't her shoulders be covered? Couldn't the dress be a little longer? Couldn't she not be so breathtaking?

"There you are Quil," She smiled. Then she looked at me more closely. "Something's wrong." She said, no doubt in her voice.

"Nah, I'm okay. I just needed to talk to Mia. And Seth. Embry followed me."

"And do you always talk to people in the forest with your shirt off, or is that only on special occasions?" She teased, but the look in her eyes told me that she knew I wasn't telling her everything.

"Well, it is Tuesday." Embry laughed.

"It's Wednesday . . ." Claire corrected matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Screw it, let's pretend that it's Tuesday!"

"Whatever you say Embry . . ." She giggled. Her laugh like a sweet lullaby. Without thinking I stood up and walked towards her. It still tripped me out how things like that could happen. How I would just automatically shift to be beside her.

"You know Claire," I started. "It's not safe for little girls to be running around the forest in nice dresses. Not with creeps like Embry lurking around." I smirked.

"Hey," Embry winked at Claire and then licked his lips. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Well you just randomly left. And you didn't just walk away, you like, ran. To the forest . . ." It was more than just a statement, but a question as well.

_Now would be a great time for some help . . . _I thought sarcastically. _God, where are you? _

"This is the part where you make up a lie . . ." She reminded me in a monotone voice.

"I'm _that_ bad of a liar?" I frowned.

"Maybe I'm just not easy to lie to."

"You should be eating cake right now," I told her.

"Probably." She didn't move.

"They're going to wonder where you are."

"I'm sure they will."

"Well?" I asked. She looked at me again before changing the subject.

"Seriously, why _aren't_ you wearing your shirt?"

"It seems to me like we could both be standing here all day with questions and no answers . . ." She just stood there, staring at me, her eyes narrow as she studied me carefully.

"I'm getting tired of this, Quil. Really tired." Then she turned around and stormed off.

Once she was gone, I hit a tree. "Damn. Shit. _Fuck!_"

"Language," Mia tsked.

"_Shut._ _Up._" My voice shook with anger.

"Whatever, I don't need this. It's _your_ problem." She turned her back on the three of us and walked deeper in to the trees, mumbling about stupid werewolf boys.

Seth approached me cautiously. "Quil, I know it's scary. And I know you were really taken off guard. It's overwhelming, I'm sure. But, you know, you'll never be happy until you tell her." I remained silent, not looking at anything but the tree in front of me.

"I mean, I never imprinted, I've only seen it through you guys. But I _do_ have Annie, and I know what it's like to love someone unconditionally. And in case you haven't noticed, that's pretty difficult considering she's a vampire."

"So what?" I mumbled.

"I know that being in love is hard. I don't even have the excuse of imprinting like Jake does. I don't know if you remember how much hell I got for that . . ."

"It wasn't surprising, we all thought you were a leech lover already anyways," Embry said. Seth growled.

"I wish love was harder for me . . ." I said. "It just seems almost, too easy. It can't be that simple. And I'm scared that when they pull the rug out from under my feet, I'll break every bone in my body and never stand again."

"But wouldn't you take that risk? For Claire?" Seth asked.

"In a heartbeat."

"Then go after her."

"I can't."

"Grow some balls, Quil." Embry groaned. I ignored him.

"I can't tell her right after we have a fight . . . It wouldn't seem right." I explained.

"Do it soon. She's already pissed off, you don't want her hating you . . ."

"Gee, _thanks_." I muttered sarcastically. "I'll see ya guys later." I waved them off, casually pulling on my shirt and walking away.

I was torn between going home and going back to the party. Alone time would be marvelous, but wouldn't Claire be suspicious if he didn't return? Would she go looking for me in the forest and get lost? I shuddered.

But going back, in fact, would be equally terrible. Seeing Claire looking so beautiful, knowing that I could have her if I wanted . . . How could I control myself with that thought making itself so known in my head. _She's gorgeous! She's yours! She's incredibly breakable! _

Going home would be smarter . . . but my own selfishness led me back to the Uley's yard. I couldn't be away from Claire, no matter how much being around her was dangerous for the both of us.

_Claire_

"We never seem to talk anymore," I groaned as we sat down on the cool grass in the yard on the opposite side of the house from the party. Quil sat awkwardly next to me, almost away from my body, as if my touch would turn him to stone. We had never been like this before. I remembered playing with Quil as a toddler, running from him when I was five because I was scared of his cooties. When I was seven he played Bratz with me and when I was ten he taught me soccer. When I was twelve he helped me deal with mean girls at school, and when I was fourteen he and I would get frozen yogurt and then walk on the beach together, hand in hand. But that was just a friendly touch . . .

Now, just brushing his arm against mine set fire to my bones, waking me up and making me more aware of everything. We didn't play games anymore either, we would talk or joke, or just relax in complete silence as my urges to move closer to him ate me up. It was both horrible, and awkward, and oddly, passionate at the same time.

"I guess that would be partially my fault . . ." Quil admitted.

"Partially." I remarked. He laughed, his voice rich and wonderful as he did.

"But why, Quil? Why can't you just tell me? Whatever it is, everyone else seems to know. Since when does Mia know things going on with you that I don't?" I demanded.

"You can know too, of course. I'm just not sure that now is the right time . . ."

"It can count as a birthday present! It would be the bestest present of all time!" I giggled.

"Birthday presents are good," Quil mumbled mysteriously. I swallowed.

"And this . . . is bad?" I questioned fearfully.

"Part of it," He lowered his voice more.

"What . . . are you a murderer or something?" I joked halfheartedly.

"I wouldn't call it murder," He barely whispered. I shuddered.

"Quil," I urged, "What _would_ you call it?"

"Later," He said, his voice back to regular volume. "Go. Enjoy your sweet sixteen."

"You can't just leave the topic!" I hissed furiously.

"I'm not leaving it, I'm giving it the day off." He shrugged sarcastically.

"Jerk," I muttered. Quil chuckled and then stood up. I could tell he was about to leave, and panicked.

"Quil," I blurted instantly without thinking, "Lift me up!" Then I smiled a little smile at my own childishness.

"You're a big sixteen year old! You're too heavy to lift," he teased.

"I'm five three!" I laughed. I stretched up my arms to them and he reluctantly grabbed my arms and pulled me up. When I was vertical, his arms lingered on my skin, still holding on to me. I felt the abnormal heat his skin always radiated. Our bodies were nearly touching as I gazed up in to his eyes, over one foot above me. I wanted so badly to pull myself up that distance and kiss him as passionately as I could. I wanted to run my hands along his muscular chest and wrap my legs around his torso.

As if reading my thoughts, Quil stiffened and quickly released me. I blushed and looked down, embarrassed. "Get back to your party now. Really." His voice was friendly, but I knew that it was an order.

Without even saying goodbye I trudged away, leaving him on the other side of the house and not looking back once. I wanted Quil to know that I was angry with him, I wanted him to miss me, and I wanted him to be hurting. But of course, I knew that everything that made him hurt, made me hurt even more . . .


	2. Late Night Visitor

**Authors Note: I already had this chapter ready so I figured I would post it while I could, chapter three should hopefully be up before I leave for Paris on Saturday. I am going to try and write while I am gone, but there will be no updates from the 11****th**** to the 19****th**** of this month, sorry. Anyways, enjoy! Sorry my chapters are a little short right now. Another thing you need to know is Sam, Paul, and Jared have stopped phasing and Jacob is the alpha over the entire pack. **

_Quil_

Stupid! That's what I was! Totally, completely, one hundred percent stupid! She was practically _begging _to hear the truth. But what could I tell her? _Hey Claire, guess what? I'm a werewolf, and I love you! _Because _that_ would end well . . . I ran home in a blind fury.

Could I just leave a note on the dresser in her room? Text it to her while she was watching TV? Of course not. Hanging out at my house held a small possibility, unless Embry just so happened to be home. What if I told her when we were alone at the beach, and she was afraid. What if the truth terrified her so much that she didn't want to be alone with me?

I wasn't even ready _to_ tell her! But she knew with all of her heart that something was up. She would be mad at me until I told her the truth. I slammed the door shut behind me and went in to my room. I laid there and stared up at the ceiling until there was no light left in the sky.

I jumped when I heard a knock on my window. I assumed it was one of the guys, or maybe Mia there to give me a pep talk. But the smell told me otherwise. I wrinkled my nose and went to open the window.

"Nessie? What the hell are you doing here?" I looked around for Jacob, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Jake had to run patrol tonight, but I didn't want to be at home all alone," She explained.

"So you decided to visit your best friend Quil?" I teased.

"No. I wanted to wish _Claire_ a happy birthday. Sixteen was a big year for me," Nessie shared.

"Your not even thirteen yet," I reminded her.

"Well not technically. Anyways, Claire seemed kind of distant, so I figured I would see if something was up, I was planning on asking Emily, but ran in to Embry first, and he told me what happened today."

"And what are you going to do? Pat me on the back and tell me that I'm a winner and of course she has feelings for me?" I said stiffly.

"Nah. I just figured you needed someone to talk to, someone actually helpful."

"Like you?"

"Exactly."

"Well I don't want to talk," I said dismissively.

"Yes you do." She replied without doubt. Then she walked over and sat on my bed. The springs creaked softly as she put her weight on the old bed. "Sit," She ordered, patting the mattress.

"I don't think my alpha/best friend wants me in the same bed as his wife," I smiled, sitting across from her.

"Of course not, but we aren't in the bed. We're _on _it." Nessie smiled brilliantly. "Now, no more avoiding this."

"Fine, talk." I grumbled.

"Quil, I would say that I know how you must feel, but I have no idea. I was the imprint_ed_, not the imprint_er_, but I know this much. It's no cake walk knowing someone all your life, and then out of nowhere developing crazy strong feelings for them. I've known Jacob since the day I was born. Like you were for Claire, he was my babysitter, my best friend, my shoulder to cry on. But as I grew older, I started feeling something else, and when I wasn't with Jacob, I felt unexplainably sad and lonely. I didn't understand why I always pictured me marrying him when I grew up, or why I got jealous when I saw another girl checking him out. Then I realized that I was completely in love with him. But that's not surprising, it's expected. You know why? Because that's how imprinting works. And Claire isn't an exception."

"So what are you trying to say?" I snapped. She was making me feel worse, not better.

"I'm saying that all Claire wants is you, Quil! And you want her too. The more you put off telling her, the longer you wait, the more desperately in love you two will feel. And if you wait too long, when you finally do tell her, you will lose control. You two won't be able to stop yourselves from doing who knows what. You're a werewolf, so you of all people should know how important it is to stay in control of yourself. Don't fight the power of the imprint, cause it _will_ win. And it will crush you like a bug."

"But Renesmee, perspective here. You grew up knowing about werewolves and vampires. Hell, _you're_ half vampire. Claire is a human, she has no idea about werewolves and vampires and magic. Telling her everything at once, well, she's going to freak out," I started freaking out at the thought of her freaking out.

"Then don't tell her everything at once," Nessie replied simply. I marinated over that for a moment. I could ease her in to things, tell her only little bits of information at a time. In theory, it sounded good. Really good.

"How much do you tell a girl at one time? What's too much? What's not enough? If she wants me to prove I'm a werewolf should I phase? Would phasing scare her off? Is there a right way to tell someone that? Should I tell her at her house, in the forest, at the beach? What details are too scary to tell her –"

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down there. Okay, hmm. Start with werewolf basics, don't jump right in to vampires if you don't need to, phasing is okay if she doesn't actually see you do it, but don't phase unless you're sure she can handle it. There is no right way. And Claire is a brave girl, I wouldn't worry about scaring her," Nessie said thoughtfully.

"So what? Werewolves and then straight to vampires? Or should I skip a few days in between?" I asked.

"Wait until she asks to know more."

"And how the hell do I explain what imprinting is and that I imprinted on her when she was two? How do I tell her I love her?" I urged.

"Well Jacob just flat out said to me, 'Renesmee, you don't know how much I love you.' I already knew what imprinting was, of course, but I don't think either of us physically discussed him imprinting on me, it was kind of a given when he said he loved me more than Sam loves Emily, and the fact that he had stuck around me my entire life."

"That's really sweet and all, but Claire doesn't know anything about imprinting. I'll actually have to tell her."

"The way I see it, the werewolf/vampire secret will satisfy her for a while, she won't know there is anything else you are keeping from her at first. But eventually, she'll start to notice that you're still being odd."

"This is impossible, I wish she could just know!" I grumbled. Renesmee didn't respond, she just pulled out her cell phone and started typing. A minute later, she showed me the screen. It read:

_Claire, I just wanted to let you know that I am a half-vampire, vampires are real and so are werewolves, Quil is a werewolf, which is one of the secrets he's been keeping from you, the other one is that he is madly and forever in love with you. _

"I'll press send if you want me to," Nessie smirked, her thumb hovering over the send button.

"No! Give me that!" I reached out for the phone but she was faster than I thought, and she had already deleted the message and put it in her pocket by the time my hand grasped the air where it had once been.

"It was just an option," She shrugged.

"I would kill you if you ever sent her anything like that," I said non-threateningly, but still with feeling.

"Quil, I hope I didn't just here you threaten to kill my wife," Jake had shot through the window in a millisecond and was perched against the sill.

"She nearly gave me a heart attack," I defended.

"Nessie, shame on you, he's had enough heart problems for today," Jacob smiled, lifting her off of the bed and in to his arms. She pecked him on the lips.

"Jesus, does anyone _not_ know?" I said agitatedly.

"Bella doesn't, you should call her." Jacob replied, only partially focused on me. Most of his attention was directed at Renesmee, who was wrapped up safely in his arms.

"Ha ha," I said in a monotone voice.

"Well Claire doesn't know, but I guess that's sort of the point," Jacob continued. Jake was playing with Nessie's hair, kissing the top of her head. I couldn't take the mushiness of it all, the sugary sweetness was too much to bare.

"Jake, do you want to go? You don't seem too interested in hanging out here," I offered.

"Hmm?" He hummed.

"Just go," I grumbled.

"We'll come see you later in the week," Jake promised.

"Don't be a pansy Quil, tell her," Nessie ordered.

"Ya know Ness, you were being helpful before, now, not so much," I frowned.

"Sorry, you're great Quil, she loves you. I can tell, girl's intuition," Nessie said before exiting out the window.

"Good luck brother," Jacob said before following his love out of the window.

I laid down in bed and closed my eyes, waiting for either death of sleep to claim me. Unfortunately, neither came.

_Claire_

For the second morning in my life, I woke up as a sixteen year old. Yesterday was horrible, so I figured today had to be better, in theory. Quil had been acting even stranger than usual, which I would have thought was impossible. He was keeping things from me, but apparently telling them to _Mia_. Does he like her? He's my best friend! Well, maybe he's more than that. Our relationship had been so strained lately, and it had lost that easiness that had always been there. I suddenly knew what I needed to do to fix things, I needed to confront Quil. I needed to know what was up with him, because not knowing was driving me insane. I got out of bed and slipped down the hall to my bathroom, washing my hair and cleaning my body with a pomegranate scrub. As stupid as it sounded, I wanted to look my best when I talked to Quil. It was pointless though, because Quil had seen me at my worst. He had seen me dead-tired with long unwashed hair and sweats, he had seen me with snot bubbles in my nose and tears bursting out of my eyes when my Mom died. Hell, he knew me when I was a raggedy eleven year old girl. But that was before, when Quil and I were the best of friends the world had ever known. Now, seeing Quil didn't make me feel relaxed, but made me feel like butterflies were having a boxing match in my stomach. Just looking at him made my legs want to give out. Nothing had ever seemed so wrong and so right at the same time. Quil was practically my brother, and lets face it, whether or not he looked it, he was alive for fourteen years before I born. But he was strong and gorgeous, and I couldn't explain the crazy pull I felt when I was around him. I was too impatient to blow dry and straighten my hair, so I just left it wet and wavy. _So much for looking my best. _I just wanted to see him as soon as possible. I put on minimal makeup and some dark blue jeans with an ice blue vintage bowling shirt. I shrugged, knowing that even if I looked my best in front of Quil, it wouldn't suddenly make him change the way he feels about me, I was his friend. Any sign I had seen that indicated he wanted to be more was just a figment of my imagination.

I didn't officially have my license yet, but I had my permit, and no one in La Push really cared anyways. But I didn't have a car, so I went in to the kitchen and found Auntie Emily sitting at the kitchen table, reading a magazine. She noticed me and looked up with a smile.

"Hey Baby Girl."

"Ya know, you really can't call me that anymore Auntie Em, I'm sixteen. In La Push, I'm considered a woman now."

"You know I stay true to my Makah ways. And therefore, you are still my Baby Girl for a little while."

"Whatever you say," I winked.

"What can I get you, Claire?" She asked sweetly.

"Can I take your car over to Quil's?" I asked.

"Sure, stay as long as you'd like."

"Thanks," I smiled. Auntie Emily was looking at me funny, like she knew something that I didn't and she didn't want me to know that she knew. I saw her trying to suppress a smile.

"What?" I asked, self-concisely.

"Nothing, have fun," She finished, looking back down at her magazine. I went to the front door and grabbed her car keys off of the side table, slipping out the door and in to the light misty morning rain. It's a good thing I didn't waste time doing my hair.

Quil and Embry's house wasn't too far from Sam and Emily's, only about half a mile, but driving is still much better than the alternative: bike riding. How could I get Quil to see me as a mature woman if I rode up to his house on an electric blue bicycle?

The rain had picked up a bit in the few short minutes it took me to reach the house. I kind of hoped Embry wouldn't be there, I needed to talk to Quil, and couldn't do that with Embry watching TV in the living room.

His car was on the driveway, but that meant little. His car was almost always there, because when Embry was out he usually was at one of the guys houses, or just "out" with no real explanation. The only time his car was usually gone is when he drove to Forks to see Lilly, a fourteen year old girl who he had been friends with for about five years.

I knocked on the door and heard footsteps coming down the hall. "Coming," It was Quil's voice. My heart picked up. He opened the door, and looked genuinely surprised to see me. He practically jumped out of his skin.

"Hey Quil, a little jumpy this morning?" I teased. He looked tired, and I suddenly felt guilty at the thought that I probably woke him.

"I thought you were Seth," Quil replied, stepping out of the way to let me in.

"Nope, just me, sorry to disappoint you," I stepped out of the rain and in to front room of his little house.

"Oh, I'm not disappointed," Quil half smiled, "I'd take you over Seth any day."

"I'm sorry for waking you" I apologized.

"Don't worry about it, I was already awake," Quil said dismissively. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well you look exhausted," I commented worriedly.

"I'm fine," He shrugged. "So, what's up?" He seemed almost lenient to ask the question, like he was afraid that I was going to go off on him about yesterday.

I thought about starting with casual conversation, but that wasn't my style. And I needed to know what was wrong with him. "We need to talk."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Quil sighed, going and sitting on the couch.


	3. The Truth

**Author's Note: This will probably be my last one until the 20****th**** of June or so, because I will be out of the country, again, sorry for the shortness, It's only about 5 or so pages long, the next one will be longer, but I just don't like draggy chapters.**

_Quil_

To say that I was freaking out would be an understatement. I got no sleep. Spent all night thinking about Claire. And now she was in my living room, looking devastatingly beautiful and demanding answers. I had to tell her, or I would lose her. But if I told her, I could scare her off, and lose her. I couldn't lose her . . . She was too important to me. I had to make this work.

She sat on the couch to and faced me head on. How could I focus when she trained those big brown eyes on me? She cleared her throat and began.

"Quil, I've known you for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember, something has been going on with you. You're disappearing all the time, never getting any older, your skin always feels like, one hundred and ten degrees, and don't even get me started on yesterday! You ran off in to the woods, and Seth and Embry and Mia were there, and you weren't wearing a shirt, and then you were talking about murder and you scared me half to death! What the hell is going on? And if you're going to lie, don't bother." Claire was practically shouting. I put my head in my hands, holding my head in to stop it from exploding. I took a deep breath and then looked up at her.

"Remember when you were little, and the Quiliette legends always fascinated you? Because you loved the idea that magic could really exist."

"I also wanted to be a princess," She smirked.

"After your Mom died, you stopped believing in magic. You didn't want to hear anything about magic. I took it as an omen."

She stared at me blankly, waiting for me to continue.

"Besides, I was afraid that if I told you, you would hate me. I was scared that you'd judge me, and never talk to me again, and I was scared that you would be afraid of me. I just couldn't bare it. You deserved to know, but I was a coward, and I didn't think you could handle it, not right after your mom died, and you were too young. But now you're old enough, and you have the right to know what I am."

"Quil, you're worrying me," Claire's voice shook. "What are you saying?"

"I've never been much of a face-to-face person, this would be so much easier if I wrote it down and sent it to you. But what would I write? _Dear Claire, I'm a monster._ No, I guess this is the right way to do it," I sighed.

I was afraid that I was speaking my mind a little too much. Claire leaned towards me and grabbed my shoulders, her face was really close to me. She made steady eye contact as she spoke. "Quil, you're killing me here. What is it? Just tell me, please."

She didn't sound necessarily afraid of me, just afraid for me. I had told her that I was a monster, but she had bypassed it, at least she hadn't brought it up. This gave me the confidence I needed to continue. I gazed in to her beautiful eyes, and was momentarily distracted. Her face was _so_ close to mine, her dainty hands gripped my shoulders, and she was practically on my lap. _Focus._ I reminded myself.

"I have a story to tell you. But it's pretty scary, can you handle it?" I asked earnestly. She nodded her head gently. "So once upon a time," she cracked a smile at the cheesy beginning, " There was a tribe on the Olympic Peninsula. They were small, but powerful. Because there was magic in this tribe. They were spirit warriors, and then shape shifters. They were werewolves. But this was a tribe secret, it was such a huge secret, that even most of the tribe didn't believe it was real. But they didn't need to believe it for it to be true. Because the direct descendants of the first shape shifters can still turn into werewolves today, when danger is near," I was horrible at telling stories. I paused a moment, giving the story time to sink in a bit.

"Danger?" Claire encouraged me to continue.

"Werewolves may seem invincible, but that's not exactly true. Because the werewolves of the tribe had an enemy more hair raising than any human enemy could ever be. The tribe's history referred to them as The Cold Ones, but society would call them vampires. When vampires would hang around tribal lands too long, it would trigger the transformation of these werewolves, whose job it was to protect the tribe. And so far I think we've been doing a pretty good job, since the tribe is still good and safe." I finished.

"We've?" Claire's eyes widened.

"The story is real Claire. _We_ are the tribe, and well, I'm a direct descendant . . . I'm a werewolf." I could barely say the last word. Claire hadn't taken her eyes off of me, but she wasn't watching me anymore, her wide eyes were staring blankly, trying to make sense of what I told her.

"How long have you been one?" She asked.

"You mean you believe me?" I was shocked.

"It makes too much sense to be a lie." She shook her head. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner, it was so obvious," She whispered to herself under her breath. She unclasped her hands from my shoulders and let them slide down. The second she released me, I missed her touch.

"Since before I met you," I replied, hoping to please her by answering as many questions as I could, ready to do anything to keep her from leaving. She didn't respond to that, just nodded.

"Are all of the Quiliette legends true?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"What about the one about the Cullens?" She practically whispered.

"That one too." Claire gasped quietly.

"You mean they're really –"She stopped, unable to say the word.

"Vampires," I stated blankly, nodding.

"What about Renesmee?" I could see that this was a very important question to Claire, Nessie had always been one of her close friends, no matter if they were the same age or one was older than the other.

"She isn't a vampire. Not entirely. Bella was still human when she had her. Nessie's birth was a pretty big deal. She's half human and half vampire."

"Embry is a werewolf too?" I nodded.

"Jacob?" Nod.

"Seth?" Nod.

"Grayson? Nolan?" Two nods.

"Collin and Brady?" Two more nods.

"Austin?" Nod.

"Danny?" Nod.

"What about Mia?" This question also seemed import to Claire, probably because she thought a girl couldn't be a wolf.

"She's one too, and Leah. But they're the only girls." I confirmed.

"So many . . ." Claire shook her head.

"Who else?" She urged.

"That's everyone. Mia was the last one we've had, she phased for the first time about five years ago. Danny, Mia, Austin, Grayson, Nolan they weren't part of the original pack. There was ten of us, but then there was vampire trouble and we moved to sixteen. We've had wolves come and go over the years, Teddy was a wolf until he moved. The original three wolves stopped phasing years ago to settle down and age with their wives."

Claire absorbed all of that for a moment. "Who were the original three?"

"Paul and Jared were the second and third in our generation to phase, I bet you know who the first was."

"Oh my god," Claire whispered. "Sam, he was a werewolf wasn't he?"

"The first. He was the alpha for a while too, the leader."

"You said they stopped phasing so they could age. Is that why you don't get any older? It's part of being a werewolf?"

"Naturally. As long as a wolf keeps phasing, he doesn't age. But Paul and Jared and Sam were all married, and they wanted to grow old with their wives. But they didn't lose the ability, they could start phasing again if they chose to."

"Quil," Claire breathed. "I want you to tell me _everything_."

"Well then, you better get comfortable," I smiled.

_Claire_

He told me things that were nearly impossible to believe about his life as a werewolf. But no matter how crazy, I believed every word. He told me about phasing, and how the pack can read each other's minds when they are in wolf form. He told me about vampires, and how the pack and the Cullens had to work together in the past. I found the truth about the Cullens upsetting, but just like everything else Quil told me, it made perfect sense. He seemed hesitant to tell me about something called imprinting, and how it had affected Sam and Jared and Paul and Embry and Jacob, but not Seth and his girlfriend Annie (Who was also a vampire, apparently.) He explained that Jacob's love for Renesmee essentially saved her life. He even told me about how Sam and Leah were dating when he met Emily. I found everything he said simply riveting. Scary as hell, yes, but I wasn't planning on running.

Although my hands were no longer on Quil, I couldn't bring myself to move further from his body. I was so close to him that I could feel the heat radiating off of his skin.

It took Quil over an hour to tell me everything, and once he was finished, I couldn't help but admit that, if anything, I loved him even more now than I did before. I wanted him so badly. I wanted his touch, his lips on mine, I wanted to feel his heat as he wrapped his arms around me. _I should tell him_. I thought. _He told me everything about him . . . _But I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't let that ruin our friendship. Having him this way was better than not having him at all. He looked at me expectantly, waiting patiently for me to process everything. I figured I better say something so he wouldn't think I was afraid of him.

"That's . . . amazing," I breathed. A brilliant smile broke out on Quil's face.

"You know, I was terrified to tell you, but I'm so happy that I did." Then Quil did something that shocked me, he pulled me to him and gave me a hug. I was so happy in his arms that I wanted to sigh. Then, he quickly stiffened up and broke off the hug, looking flustered. I blushed. There was a brief awkward silence before the front door opened up. Seth.

"Hey look, Seth showed up," I smiled, thankful for the interruption. "I think Quil was expecting you like an hour ago," I told him.

Seth laughed. "Sorry to keep you waiting Quil, but Annie slept over last night."

Quil smirked, "Annie doesn't sleep."

"Shut up," Seth blushed.

I turned to Quil, "You never mentioned that vampires don't sleep," I frowned.

"Is that really important to you?" Quil raised an eyebrow.

"Nah, I'm just giving you a hard time," I giggled.

"So I'll take it you've been telling Claire some things," Seth plopped down on the love seat in the small living room. "What have you told her so far?"

"Basically everything. Werewolf basics, vampire stuff, stories about us, about how you're the world's biggest vampire lover, ya know stuff like that," Quil shrugged. Seth threw a pillow at him.

"_Basically_ everything?" I inquired.

"Well there are _some_ things you don't know yet. I can't tell you absolutely everything at once," Quil replied.

"Okay," I shrugged.

"You're not going to rest until you know everything, are you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," I replied casually.


	4. Opening Doors

**Author's Note: I know that you guys have been waiting for this chapter for over two weeks, and I'm sorry about the long wait. When I got back from Paris I wasn't up for spending any time with Quil and Claire, but now I'm ready to write some more chapters. You'll have to be used to this with me. I don't have a set update schedule. You could get a chapter a day or a chapter a month depending on if I'm up for writing. But I promise that every chapter you get will be marvelous. And I promise that after this chapter, things are really going to heat up for our love sick pair. Enjoy the chapter. :)**

_Quil_

I didn't want her to leave, but didn't know what I could say to convince her to stay. It was early afternoon when she was getting ready to go. She had been over for about two hours, which wasn't nearly long enough for me to get my daily fix of her. _Wow, I'm addicted to her._

"Do you wunna hang out tonight? Like maybe come over and watch some movies or something?" I asked her.

"Sure," Claire replied casually. I knew that I wasn't ready to tell her the last piece of information, that I loved her, but I also knew that I needed more of her.

"Cool, come over whenever."

"You won't be out, I dunno, wolfing around or anything?" She teased lightly.

"Not unless Leah forces me too," I smiled at her. Internally though, I was frowning, because I hated Jacob had made Leah his beta. It had started all the way back before Renesmee was born and she still was today. It's not that she wasn't genetically fit to be a beta, she had Black, Ateara, and Uley bloodlines . . . But it was still Leah.

"Couldn't Jake just overrule her if she did?" She asked curiously.

"He could, but he's barely ever around here, as you already know. So most of the time it's like Leah runs things, and that's plain awful. But even she doesn't phase all too much anymore, she wants to quit in a few years." Claire processed this briefly, and then a question lit her eyes.

"So who ranks under Leah?"

"That would be Embry," I smirked.

"So if Jacob and Leah are both busy, Embry the idiot runs the show," She giggled. "Damn, that feeling of protection is gone, if it's up to Embry to protect the tribe."

I laughed. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe Claire, I'm actually pretty good at what I do if I do say so myself."

"I'm sure you are," She indulged teasingly.

"Really, if something horrible happened to Jacob, Leah, and Embry, then it would be Quil time!"

"So what does that make you, fourth? That's not so impressive," She smiled teasingly.

"Oh whatever, don't be jealous."

Claire shook her head and looked at the ceiling for a second. "Boys." We sat in the silence for a moment, it wasn't awkward, like the silences we had in the last few days, but easy and calming. Telling her really _had _made things so much easier. But at the same time, the hardest part was yet to come.

"I'm really glad that you know," I shared, smiling at her shyly. "I was afraid that you would run away screaming, or call me crazy, but things turned out better than I could have hoped."

Claire smiled mischievously for a second before punching me in the arm. It didn't hurt of course, but I still grabbed my arm like it was the end of the world. "What was that for?"

"For not telling me sooner!" Claire shot me a glare, but there was no real venom behind it.

"You weren't ready," I defended.

"No Quil, _you_ weren't ready." I was taken aback by her response. How well she knew me . . .

She continued, "For a big bad werewolf, you're such a little coward."

"Little?" I commented, raising an eyebrow. I picked her up off the couch with one arm and slung her over my shoulder. "Who are _you_ calling little?"

"You know what I meant," Claire said. And there it was again, like the hug that lasted a moment longer than it should have. I didn't want to put her down, I liked holding her, feeling her body pressed on mine. But I pushed that out of my head and let her slip back down to the couch.

"And the only thing I'm scared of is you Claire-Bear," I bounced my pointer finger off her nose. "I'm terrified that you're just going to disappear one of these days and leave me behind." _Wow, that was a surprisingly honest thing for me to say. _

I heard her gasp slightly, she probably didn't even realized I heard. She scooted up to me for a second and looked deep in to my eyes.

"That's a silly fear, Quil. I couldn't abandon you if I wanted to, it's like we're forever tied together by some huge invisible rope," She reassured me, smiling.

_You have no idea . . . _

_Claire_

Everything was going to change now. And I knew it was more than just the fact that he told me the truth. I mean, yes, that was pretty phenomenal and life changing, but it was the way Quil held me when he picked me up. It was the way he looked at me. And it was the words he said, and how truly believable they were.

The way he was acting made me really believe that I was his biggest fear, that losing me was his worst nightmare. He didn't push me away when I got close to what was going on inside his head, but he also didn't pull me closer. I didn't know what had convinced him to be so honest with me right before I left, but he had done it. He had opened up to me, opened a door that I could tell he wasn't planning on opening. It was killing me trying to figure this all out. Did Quil care about me like a sister, or a lover? And if it were the latter, would Quil have told me by now? If someone asked me before today, I would have said that of course he would have told me. But now I knew Quil so much better, if his biggest fear was scaring me off, would he tell me something like that? I shook my head, trying to clear it as I pulled up at home. It was still raining, but since it was July the air wasn't cold. My ten year old cousin Amelia was dancing around in the front yard wearing her favorite froggy rain boots.

"Where were you? Mommy and Daddy are out and Eliza had to watch me," Amelia frowned, "You're a much better babysitter."

"Sorry Melia, I was at Quil's house," I explained.

"Ooooh, _Quil's house_," She said like the seven year old she still secretly was on the inside.

"Shut up," I replied. "You know it's not like that."

"But you want it to be," Amelia smiled knowingly speaking in the same childish tone. _Damn that girl's smart for a ten year old._ When I didn't respond Amelia just smiled even wider.

"When you and Quil get married, can I have your room?" She pleaded.

I ignored her and headed for the house to escape the rain and my nosy intuitive cousin.

"Hey," I called when I came inside. Eliza was sprawled across the couch in the living room, texting away on her phone. Her white blond hair was fanned out around her. Eliza wasn't my biological sister, my parents had adopted her when she was just a baby, but we loved her all the same.

"Hey," She replied.

"You know that Melia is outside, right? In the rain, with no one watching her . . ." I commented sternly.

"Yup. But don't get your panties in a twist Claire, she's fine," Eliza looked away from her phone and up at me, studying for a moment. "But you're not. What's up?"

"It's nothing. Today has just been a lot for me to take in."

"What, the whole Quil being a werewolf thing?" She asked.

"How do you know that?" My eyes widened.

"Oh I hear Sam and Emily talk about it all the time when they think I'm in my room. Do you know that Sam used to be a werewolf too?" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yes, I know that now, I just can't believe that _you_ do! Do Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily know that you know?" I demanded.

"Of course not! And don't tell them because then they'll stop talking about things like that and then I'll have to get all of my information from you," Eliza said. I just shook my head in disbelief.

"How long have you know about this?" I asked.

"I dunno. Eight months or so? They discuss you and Quil a lot."

"You've known for eight months and never bothered to tell me?" I was on the verge of shouting.

"Pretty much, yeah. I've talked to Lilly about it some, but she already knows so it isn't a big deal with her."

"Lilly knows?" Eliza nodded. I raised an eyebrow, Quil had never mentioned that Embry's fourteen year old imprint, who was also Eliza's friend, knew about werewolves. I made a mental note to talk to Quil about it when I went over there tonight.

"So I'm guessing Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily aren't the only people you eavesdrop on?"

"Of course not. Claire, you just need to face the facts. Your little sister knows everything."

I didn't really do much with my afternoon except sit in my room fuming. I just couldn't _believe_ that Eliza knew things before me that she didn't even have a right to know.

I also wondered what it would take to convince her to tell me everything she knew and possibly fill some gaps in my mind. But I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't give Eliza that satisfaction . . . at least, not yet.

Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily came home in the late afternoon. I thought about asking them where they had been, just for something to do. But Auntie Emily spoke before I did.

"Eliza, can you go to the shed outside and try and find the old air pump for Amelia's bike?"

"Fine," Eliza sighed, winking at me before walking towards the front door, around the corner and down a short hallway from where we were. Auntie Emily and Uncle Sam stood in the kitchen, close to where I sat on the counter. The front door clicked shut, but I now knew better than to believe Eliza was really on her way to the shed.

"Do we even have an air pump?" I asked causally.

"No," Emily replied. _Joy, I'm going to have a totally awkward conversation with my parental guardians about werewolves. _I laughed inwardly, thinking how just yesterday, I had thought of my family as totally ordinary.

"Well then talk fast, it won't take Eliza long to realize it isn't there," I told her. But I knew this wasn't true, as long as the conversation was interesting, Eliza wouldn't interrupt.

"Well," Sam started, "Seth couldn't keep his mouth shut for five seconds after he found out what Quil told you, you should be aware he basically told every person he came across."

"And we also just wanted to see how you were handling this," Emily gave me a concerned look.

"I'm fine, a little surprised, and annoyed that it took me so long to find out, but I'm happy I know," I replied in a rather bland and monotone voice. I really wasn't in the mood to be treated like a child, but saw it as unavoidable.

"It was reasonable to make you wait and you know it, you just don't want to admit it," Emily remarked.

"If age is such a big deal then how come Lilly knows, when she's barely fourteen?" I retorted.

"Why don't you ask Embry about it, or better yet, ask her. I bet she'll tell you, it's an interesting story," Emily offered. I shrugged.

"Anyways, you don't need to worry, I'm not easily scared. But you know that by now . . ." My mouth curved up slightly in a half smile.

"Trust me, we know," Sam returned the smirk.

"Did you make plans to hang out with Quil anytime again soon?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I was gonna go over there tonight and watch movies or something, as long as that's okay with you."

"You know it is," Emily smiled, making her scarred face crinkle slightly. I fought back a shudder. _It wasn't a bear mauling._

"Oh, and you guys may want to put Amelia in a warm bath or something, when I got home she was playing outside in the rain and her clothes were drenched."

"That explains the wet hair," Emily shook her head, another smile lighting up her scarred face.

"Are you guys ever going to tell her?" I asked, clearly indicating what I meant by "tell her."

"We've never sat down and talked to her about it, but we think she already knows. She's heard bits of conversations over the years. I wouldn't be surprised if she could hear us right now from her room," Sam's eyes drifted down the hall to her closed bedroom door.

"So everyone in the family knows, and I was the last to find out . . . That's kind of messed up," I frowned.

"We would have told you sooner, but Quil wanted to be the one to tell you. And you weren't the last, Eliza doesn't know," Sam responded. _That's what you think._ I decided it would be smartest not to respond. I guess not liking where the conversation was going, Eliza opened and closed the front door at that moment and walked down the hall saying something about how she couldn't find any pump.

"Oh I forgot, we borrowed it to the Lahote's last week for Tanner's bike. I'll go get it from Paul tomorrow," Sam lied smoothly. Eliza rolled her eyes and turned around, heading down the hall to her bedroom, which she shared with Amelia. Sam and Emily cleared out as well, going off to do their own things. I just stood there in the kitchen, unsure what to do. According to the wall clock it was only 5:07, which I thought was a little early to go over to Quil's. But there was nothing to do in my house and I missed Quil so badly it was almost unreasonable. I went over to the kitchen table and swiped up my phone. As quickly as my fingers could work, I texted Quil: _I'll be there in ten minutes. _He replied instantly, sending back nothing but a smiley face.

Quil answered the door before I even had a chance to knock. "Hey," He said, looking slightly flustered.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" He answered back suspiciously.

"You look troubled."

"I feel fine," He forced a smile. I decided to let it go. He stepped out of the way and I walked inside, heading straight for the living room couch. Quil followed me quietly. He wasn't his usual easy chatty self, and I knew something was up. But if he didn't want to tell me I would just have to let it go . . . for now.

"So what do you want? Scary, comedy, action, chick-flick, mwssbg?" Quil asked, examining the movie shelves above his TV.

"What's a mwbgs or whatever you called it?" I giggled.

"An mwssbg is a movie _with a super sexy British guy_," Quil said in his girliest voice. I started cracking up.

"How many of those do you have?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Quite a few actually . . ." He answered matter-of-factly before turning back and scanning the shelves again. It was silent for a moment.

I wanted to choose the perfect movie. A movie that would somehow say, _Quil Ateara, I want you. _

"What do you have that's scary?" I got up off of the couch and went to join him in front of the TV.

"Hmm, the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Prom Night, Scream 5, Paranormal Activity 3, and Darkness Falls."

"What's Prom Night?" I pulled the movie off of the shelf.

"You were little when it came out. This creepy guy is after this teenage girl and it happens during senior prom," He explained.

"This one," I nodded, handing him the movie and going to sit on the couch.

That was the beginning of the most confusing experience of my life.


	5. Chills, Thrills, and Deep Confusion

**Author's Note: All I have to say is enjoy ;) **

_Quil_

I truly hated my situation. I couldn't bare to be around her, it was killing me. Just seeing her was like a thousand stabs to my heart. But I still wanted to be with her every second of the day and couldn't bare when she wasn't around. For crying out loud, I missed her while I was putting the DVD in the player, and she was only a few feet away from me on the couch.

I wasn't sure how much longer I could "fight the imprint" as Nessie had referred to it. The pull was so strong that I practically ran to the couch after the movie was in. I was able to refrain from the running, but still moved at a quick for a human pace. We got in to our regular movie watching position, which involved my arm on stretched out along the top of the couch and Claire leaning against my side, inside the area of my arm. We had always sat like this, but of course this was different. The room was so tense that I thought it would snap. I wanted to push her away before I lost control, but at the same time I _wanted_ to pull her in closer to me and let down all of my walls.

I had never experienced anything so frustrating in my life. I hated Claire and loved her at the same time. And on top of that, I wasn't even sure if I could keep myself in check. The movie was mediocre, but seemed to scare Claire plenty. She would jump every time something even remotely scary happened.

As the movie reached its climax, Claire got really scared and wrapped her arms round my torso, burying her face in my shoulder. Her entire body curled around me. Without really meaning to, I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on top of her head. The new position my body was in allowed her to wrap her legs around me. Her body clung to mine and heat rushed throughout my entire body. I moved my chin off of her head and gently pressed my lips to her cheek. She gasped lightly and looked up at me. There was a look in her eyes that I couldn't quite place, something torn between thrill and confusion.

I couldn't stop myself. I pulled one of my hands free and cupped her chin in my hand, stroking her cheek with my thumb. She stared at me with her big brown eyes but didn't say anything. I pulled her impossibly closer to me. Then, very slowly, I tilted her face up, and leaned in. My mouth was just an inch or two away from hers when I came to my senses.

"I can't do this," I said, gently pushing her away from me and prying her legs off of my body. I placed her to the side and stood up. Then I started to pace back and forth across my living room.

Claire finally found her words. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded. I wasn't able to answer her. I felt like I was drowning in the air. Choking on the oxygen I breathed. I felt like someone had plunged a knife in to my stomach and was twisting it around inside of me.

"Quil, answer me!" Claire ordered, still on the couch looking at me with demanding eyes.

"I'm sorry," I replied. I wasn't even sure what I was apologizing for, but it was the only thing I was able to say. I continued my pacing.

"Quil you aren't making any sense!" She shouted in aggravation and hurt.

"I'm sorry," I repeated in a small voice.

"I thought you were done keeping things from me Quil Ateara! You fucking liar! What is going on? You were –you were just about to . . ." She wasn't able to finish.

"I know."

"I need an explanation. You already told me your secret, but I still feel like I don't know a thing about what's going on!" It sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"I don't know what to say," I admitted in a weak voice. I stopped my pacing in front of her and looked down on her, my eyes boring in to hers. "It's _killing _me, Claire. It really is."

"_What_ is killing you?" She shouted angrily.

"I can't do this, not right now. Tomorrow, meet me at our spot. Then, okay."

"Then what? I need some more than that Quil! Please just explain what's going on," She begged me.

I shook my head fast back and forth, trying to clear my thoughts. I felt like my head was going to explode. "Tomorrow, our spot, noon," I said, and then turned and sprinted out the door. I knew who I needed to talk to.

_Claire_

He ran out of the house as fast as his legs would let him. It was inhumanly fast, werewolf fast I supposed. I followed after him but stopped once I reached the back door. The back of his house was several hundred yards away from the forest line, and he was already almost in the trees. Just before he reached them I saw his body explode away. He shifted into something much larger, with chocolate brown fur and four legs.

He became a werewolf.

Seeing this took my breath away, and I would be lying if I said it didn't frighten me a little, but I had more important things on my mind at the moment.

What the hell was going on? _Quil Ateara almost kissed me!_ I felt his breath in my mouth. I had embarrassingly flung myself at him and in response he had almost kissed me.

But then he stopped himself and started freaking out. It was like he was having a panic attack. The look in his eyes would have suggested that he was being slowly ripped apart by a family of starving lions.

All I wanted was an explanation! I needed all of this madness solved. It was driving me absolutely crazy. My whole life was spiraling out of control and no one was offering me any explanation as to why. Why was Quil acting so weird? Why had he tried to kiss me? Why did he stop himself? Why had he run off afterwards? Was he _really_ going to explain things tomorrow?

I couldn't wait another day to get the answers, I needed them _now._ I made it up in my mind that I was just going to wait for Quil to come back home. I stood there for all of one minute before the stillness drove me crazy. I started to pace back and forth in front of the door like Quil had by the couch.

I wondered to myself just how long he'd be out there. I was sure that the darkness wouldn't be a problem, werewolves could probably see just as easily at night as the could in the day. He would get tired eventually, but how long would that take?

It didn't matter. I would stay here all night if I had to. I knew that Sam and Emily would be worried, but that wasn't really important right now, there were _much_ bigger things going on.

I heard the end credits stop in the living room, and then the whole house was filled with silence. At that moment, it felt like the whole world was absolutely silent. Like every last insignificant creature had stopped what they were doing. It was like the only sound in the world was the pounding of my heart inside my chest, the quiet breaths escaping my mouth, and the soft tread of my feet across the wooden floor. Then a new sound entered the scene. The soft pattering of rain on the rooftop.

I wondered momentarily if this would bring Quil home any faster, but doubted it. It rained in La Push all the time, and I'm sure he didn't come running home every time a drop of water landed on his fur coat.

It was all getting to be too much. The lies . . . The questions . . . The heartache . . . I just couldn't take it. I wanted to scream and bang my fists on the wall. I wanted to have a full scale temper tantrum like I was just two years old again. I wanted to cry until I felt like I would never be able to produce a tear ever again.

The idea of doing it, of just being a child and releasing my anger was extremely tempting. But before I could start throwing picture frames and smashing plates, I heard the front door opening in the living room. My heart lifted, and I dashed in to the living room.

"Claire? What are you doing here?" Embry asked in true surprise. My heart didn't just sink, it dropped down to my toes.

"I was . . . and then we . . . and Quil he –" I sputtered out intelligently.

"Are you okay?" He asked genuinely, stepping forward to get a better look at me. I shook my head no.

"What's wrong?" He moved right up to stand in front of me, and I noticed he was soaking wet from the rain.

"I'm just . . . so confused," I admitted. My throat was tight as I tried to hold back tears. I hated the feeling of holding back tears, it made my throat ache. I felt like I couldn't breathe. But I couldn't let myself cry now or I would just lose it. And Embry, or anyone for that matter, did not want to be there for that.

"Where's Quil?" He asked worriedly.

I looked away from him, really trying to push down the tears. "I don't want to talk about it," I shared, my voice coming out choked, like I was crying. Which I was. I reached a hand up and wiped the first tear away from my face just as it spilled over.

Embry placed a hand gently under my chin and lifted my head to look him in the eyes. I could see in his face that he didn't like seeing me like this, and was possibly more confused than I was.

"Do you want me to call him?" Embry asked gently. I wiped several more tears.

"N-no. I don't think he gets good reception in the middle of the forest," My attempt at making a joke was pathetic. I just sounded really pathetic in general.

"Well I can still call him. Pack mind, honey."

"No," I replied with the little force I could manage. "Just, no. Please don't. I don't want him to see me like this." I was crying much harder now.

"Get your keys, I'm driving you home," Embry said.

"I . . . I don't want to go home. N-not like this," I was practically sobbing now.

"Well where do you want to go?" He questioned gently.

There was only one place I could think of that would make me feel better, and that was in Quil's arms, but I couldn't very well tell him that. So I settled for the second best choice. Mom. "Take me to the graveyard."

_Quil_

When I shifted, I wasn't alone. Brady's and Austin's thoughts filled my head. I was aware of both of them taking in what had happened.

_I'll run patrols. Just leave me alone. _

_By yourself? _Austin thought.

_ I'll howl if there's any trouble. Just leave me be, please. _

They both did as I said. And then I was alone in my head. And let me just say, my head was not the happiest place to be at the moment.

I was killing her. Planting questions in her head that were desperately trying to claw their way out. I was playing with her head. Pulling her in and then pushing her away. I was scaring her. Acting like a lunatic. And overall, I was just hurting her.

And it was destroying me. It was driving me absolutely _insane_.

I couldn't live like this. I couldn't do this to her. I was a true monster.

I was like the guy who kept beating someone even after they were already dead. I was like the guy who didn't have the guts to shoot someone in the head and kill them, so shot them in the stomach instead and let them bleed to death.

No, I was worse. I was someone who sees the one they love most in pain and does nothing. Nothing except make things worse.

And I hated myself so much for it. So fucking much.

I wanted to comfort her, but that would only make it worse. I wanted to just forget about the consequences and kiss her. Kiss her until I ran out of air, and maybe even after that. But that would only confuse her more.

I owed her an explanation, and until I gave her one, I couldn't do anything. I was stuck. Totally and completely stuck.

_What the hell is going on, Man!_ Embry shouted in my head. I ignored him, and tried to keep his thoughts out of my head. But then I caught a glimpse of Claire in his mind and completely forgot about ignoring him.

_ Why was Claire in our house completely losing it? _Embry demanded.

_Is she alright? _

_Physically? Yes. But what the hell did you do to her? _Silence. I saw my thought in Embry's head.

_ !_

_I am such an idiot . . . _I groaned a wolfy groan, running towards the treaty line.

_Man, you _need _to tell her. You're tearing her to pieces. _

_ Do you think I don't fucking know that? _I snapped back. _Do you think it's not killing me? _

Embry didn't answer to that. _Where are you going?_

I didn't answer, so he read my thoughts. _Oh, why can't you just talk to me? _

_ Because in case it is not clear, you are no help at all. In fact, you're kinda making me feel worse. _

_Well excuse me for living. _And then Embry was gone, and I was once again in complete silence.

I knew I should have called first, but it's not like she would have answered anyways. I just had to hope she was home. I arrived at the house shortly. It was then that I remembered I exploded my clothes away. _Damn it._

I had to find another way to let her know I was here. So I howled. _Thank god there are no nearby houses. _

I heard movement upstairs followed by two sets of feet pounding down the staircase. She was the first to the door. It opened and she stood in the doorway, looking me over.

"Quil, what did you do now?" Renesmee sighed.


	6. Inner Demon

**Author's Note: So this chapter isn't as exciting as the last one, but trust me, we're getting there. Review letting me know what you think. Maybe some of you guys have some thoughts on what'll happen next? Expect the unexpected ladies. (And maybe one guy, but I highly doubt it) **

_Claire_

The wet grass made squishing noises as I walked over it. In the darkness of the cemetery, most people would find it impossible to find the grave they were looking for. But I could find my way there blindfolded. Over the years, I had come here a lot to visit my mom. I would sit beside her tombstone and tell her about my life. Emily was a great mother to me, but my mom was the best. She always made time for me and loved me unconditionally. Other than Quil, she had always been the one I trusted most. And as stupid as it may have sounded, I was nervous to tell Mom about Quil.

I hadn't come to visit her in the last few months. The last time I talked to her, Quil and I were still easy best friends. She didn't know that I was in love with him. I sat beside her grave in my usual spot. The ground was wet and soggy, but I didn't care. I was already soaked through my skin anyways.

"Mom," I whispered softly. "I wish you were here right now. You'd know what's going on . . ."

I recounted what had happened to me in the last couple of months. I told her how I loved Quil, and how lately it had been like someone had driven a wooden stake in our friendship. I told her about my birthday, and I told her Quil was a werewolf. And I finished by telling her what had happened to me tonight.

Half way through my story the rain had stopped. I barely even noticed the change. Mixed along with my soaked skin was the water streaming down from my eyes, I was crying again.

"You shouldn't be out here alone at night," An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind me. I jumped and turned to see where it had come from. A few yards behind me a teenage boy was perched against a large tree, smoking a cigarette. He was nowhere nearly as tall as Quil, probably six feet tall at the most. _God, I can't stop thinking of Quil. _The boy was clearly Native American with his tan skin and shaggy black hair. He wore a leather jacket and just _exuded_ arrogance.

"I'm fine thank you very much," I tried to sound rude, but my voice was still shaky from crying.

"You don't sound fine," the boy commented. He abandoned his cigarette and sauntered towards me. It was dark, but once the boy got up close I could see him a lot better. He really was just a boy, there was no way he was older than seventeen or eighteen. He looked at me with mild concern and curiosity.

"I mean fine as in I can take care of myself," I replied, my voice a bit stronger this time. I turned my back on him and faced my mother's grave. I heard a few footsteps and then the boy lowered himself to sit beside me.

"How'd she die?" He nodded at the tombstone. _Like he actually gave a flying fuck. _

"Car accident," I murmured in response. Why was I even bothering talking to this guy?

"I'm guessing she's your Mom," The boy asked. I nodded.

"My Dad's dead," He commented softly. "Drugs. I was just six when it happened."

"My mom died seven years ago, I was nine." _Why am I giving him my life story?_

"Your sixteen?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just seemed older than me. But we're the same age."

"You're older. My birthday was just a few days ago," I added. I didn't really know him at all, but he was at least a welcomed distraction.

"Well happy late birthday."

"Thanks."

"I'm Mason," He held out a hand.

"Claire," I shook it hesitantly.

Mason laughed. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing really. That's my mom's name. It's a nice name."

There was a moment of silence as we both just sat there, not sure if speaking would ruin the peace.

"So why are you so upset?" I couldn't tell if he cared or was just nosy.

"I don't really wunna talk about it," I shook my head.

"Yes you do, everyone likes dumping out their problems on random strangers."

I smiled slightly for the first time in hours. It felt good. But the smile quickly disappeared and was replaced by the frown that I had worn for most of the night. "I've just had a really confusing night. My best friend Quil has been acting weird lately. And then tonight he, well, I don't really wunna talk about it," I dismissed, standing up and stretching.

"You sure?" Mason asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Bye," I turned and started to walk towards the front gate.

"Wait!" Mason called, jumping up and following me. "Where are you going?"

"Home," I replied. "I need to shower, I'm freezing."

"Oh, okay. I hope everything works out for you."

"Thanks."

"No really," Mason said sincerely, "I do."

I smiled again, and the a quick thought occurred to me. "Wait a minute, what are you doing here in the first place?"

Mason smiled and leaned in close to my face. "I'll just leave that up to your imagination to decide." And then he turned and walked off in the other direction without saying another word.

_Strange boy_. But I didn't have any more time to think about him. As I drove off, I worried about what I would be up against when I got home.

_Quil _

Jacob sped back upstairs to get me something to wear. While he was gone, Nessie stared up at me, her eyes filled with accusations. "You did something stupid, didn't you?" She raised an eyebrow. I was brought back to being in school, Nessie was the teacher and I was the kid caught misbehaving. I hung my head in shame.

Just then Jake returned with a pair of gray cutoff sweats. I took them in my mouth and trotted behind the house, phasing back and putting them on. I was suddenly nervous of what I'd be facing when I went back around to the front of the house. Renesmee was going to be pissed at me. Maybe talking to her wasn't the best idea in the state I was in, but I knew she would tell it to me straight, even if that meant her yelling at me and calling me a piece of shit. And she was the only girl I knew with a hope in hell of knowing what Claire might be going through right now.

They were both standing there waiting patiently for me. Jacob's arm was wrapped around Nessie's waist and he was whispering something in her ear so quietly that I could barely pick up what he was saying other than the words _I love you_. At that moment, I envied him so much. He had his girl and she loved him more than anything else in the world.

"I need to talk to you," I said, looking at Renesmee.

"I can't even get one full night with her. Such a cock-block," Jacob mumbled to himself. Nessie grabbed Jacob's face and kissed him briefly on the lips. The gesture was so sweet that I couldn't take it. _Stupid fucking happy imprinted couples. _

"You can go inside Baby, I'll be there soon."

"Why can't I stay out here?" He frowned.

"Because if Quil wanted to talk to a guy friend he wouldn't have come all the way over here, he would have walked down the hall and talked to Embry, now go. I'll be inside soon." Jacob frowned more, and then kissed her quickly before retreating inside.

Nessie turned to me. "Okay, so how badly did you fuck up?" _She was so blunt. _

"Astronomically bad. I um, almost kissed Claire," I admitted hesitantly.

"You _what_?" She shouted.

"And then I realized what I was doing, pushed her away, and ran out of the house telling her I'd explain things tomorrow."

"You stupid, _stupid_ boy!" She said stupid like it was the nastiest swear word in the world.

"And I think she may have seen me phase before I hit the trees," I added quietly.

She growled in aggravation. "So first you completely take her off guard by almost kissing her, then you not only hurt her feelings but severely confuse her by pushing her away, and lastly you traumatize her by phasing around her. Is that everything?" She clarified.

"Yeah, I guess that's all," I mumbled, feeling like a total ass. "Renesmee, what do I do?" I asked her desperately.

"Stop being an idiot, firstly. Realize that she loves you and you are killing her and yourself by not telling her how you feel. Just tell her. If you really love her, and I know you do, you have to stop putting her through this."

"I know," I sighed.

"You made plans to talk to her tomorrow?" I nodded.

"Yeah, I said I told her to meet me at noon and I would explain what was going on."

"You better do it then. No more chickening out."

"I know."

"Because it's hurting her Quil."

"I know!" I shouted back. I know it wasn't right to lash out at her. But I couldn't help it. Jacob came outside.

"Nessie, Love. You aren't being entirely fair to Quil right now," He said, gently grabbing her hand and pulling her close. "Quil isn't intentionally hurting Claire, he would never do that. It's obviously destroying him."

"You're right," She pulled herself up and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry," She apologized, turning back to me and looking deep in to my eyes.

"Don't worry about it Ness. And thanks, Jake," I half-heartedly smiled at my best friend.

"No problem. But just be warned that if you ever yell at my wife again I'll rip your balls off."

"Message received," I smirked.

I made it back to La Push about fifteen minutes later. As I neared home I smelled her. I ran faster. _Claire._

But as I got closer I knew she wasn't there. I definitely smelled a girl who had Claire's scent on her, but I didn't feel Claire's presence, like I always could when she was near. I phased back in to a human before coming out in to the open, because I _knew_ that there was a human there. It was a girl for sure, but I just couldn't put my finger on whose scent it was. I slid on the cutoffs and then broke through the tree line.

She was there, waiting for me. The smell of Claire hung heavy on her skin. She was small in size, even smaller than Claire, and her white blonde hair was pulled back in a messy loose ponytail. The shock of seeing her there was immediate.

"Eliza?" I asked in disbelief. She was standing maybe fifteen feet away from me, and even under the cloak of night I could see that her green eyes were running over my body. Sizing me up.

"No, it's Seth," She retorted sarcastically. I continued to walk towards her and she waited patiently for me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked once I reached her. She was glaring at me in a way I had never seen her glare before.

"I need to talk to you," She stated.

"Do Sam and Emily know that you're not at home?"

"No, but they don't know a lot of things. I, on the other hand know many things." There was something about the way she said it that made me shiver.

"I usually don't need to do this sort of thing. I usually already have all the answers to things. But tonight . . ." She trailed off. I swallowed.

"How did you know that I'd be here?" I leaned in and stared back at her, trying to be half as menacing as she was.

"Embry. He wasn't really willing to tell me, but then I got Lilly to drag the information out of him. It was too easy, actually. Imprinting has him so whipped."

I froze. _Did the word imprinting just come out of her mouth?_

She smiled at my obvious surprise. "So what were you doing in the middle of the forest? Was it a _changing _experience? Did you just _explode out of your skin_? Were you _howling_ mad?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied in a shaky voice. _What the hell is going on?_

"Ya know, Sam and Emily talk a lot when Claire isn't home. I guess they forget how thin the walls are. _Don't worry Sam, Quil is a werewolf, he is perfectly capable of taking care of Claire._" She mimicked Emily's voice. I was so surprised by the words that came out of her mouth that I nearly collapsed.

"The dog has been out of the bag for quite some time Quil, don't act like it's so life changing."

I just shook my head, trying to process what she was saying.

"So back to my point, I know many things. But I didn't come here just to blow your mind with my extensive knowledge. I want to know what the hell went down with you and Claire tonight that has her so distraught," Eliza demanded silently. Hearing Claire's name was like a punch in my gut.

Was I really about to have to launch in to this story _again_? _I_ wasn't even entirely sure what happened tonight, but everyone was still demanding answers from me. And that included Claire herself.

"I . . . I messed up. I didn't mean to hurt her, I swear!" I defended pathetically.

"Physically or emotionally?" She interrogated.

"What?"

"Did you hurt her physically or emotionally?" Eliza said through her teeth.

"Come on, Eliza. You know I would never physically harm Claire! I . . . love her." I admitted.

"Well then what exactly did you do?"

"I guess I took her off guard, and I really confused her. And I wouldn't give her any answers."

"That's not details, Quil. I need you to tell me what you did," She ordered.

"I well, she was so close to me and I couldn't control myself. So I kind of . . . almost kissed her," I admitted, bracing myself for the worst.

For the first time that night, Eliza looked genuinely surprised. "You almost kissed her? How close is almost exactly? Did she _know_ that you were about to kiss her?"

"Yeah. I gained control literally within one inch of kissing her, I'm pretty sure she knew what was going on."

Eliza's green eyes widened slightly. "And then what did you do?"

"I pulled her off of my body and started pacing and she was demanding answers and I wasn't giving her any and then–"

"What do you mean _off of your body_?"

"Did I mention that we were watching a scary movie and she was practically on my lap?"

"No, you failed to mention that little piece of information," She paused for a moment. "Okay, so continue from where I cut you off."

"And then I told her I would talk to her tomorrow and ran out of the house as fast as I possibly could. And I think she may have seen me phase before I hit the trees."

"You're such a fucking pussy," She frowned. I knew her language should have surprised me, but I was already so far down that road that nothing else could possibly faze me.

"I'm going to tell her tomorrow, though. I really am," I defended weakly.

"No you're not."

"Yes, I am," I replied in frustration.

"Fine, if you're really planning on telling her, go do it right now," She dared.

"What?"

"You heard me, go over there right now and explain everything to her."

"She's been through enough tonight . . ."

"No, that's the problem. She hasn't been through nearly enough."

This made zero sense to me. "What?"

"All she has is questions, questions aren't anything life changing. People ask questions all the time, it's the answers that are important."

_Shit, she has a point. A razor sharp point. She's just waiting to stab me with it._

"Go home, Liza," I sighed.

"Come with me," she said firmly.

"I– I . . ." I stammered.

"Pussy," she breathed.

"Look Quil," She stood on her toes, getting as up in my face as she could, which got her eye level with my collar bone. "Tell her soon. Stop being so stupid and just tell her. You don't want me to come after you? Do you?" She threatened. I swallowed hard, genuinely nervous.

"No ma'am." She smiled and lowered herself to regular level like nothing had happened. Damn, that chick was crazy.

I smirked at her. "One day you're going to have a boyfriend and he'll have no idea how to handle you. You've got a demon in you Liza."

"I know," she turned and started walking away. I knew I shouldn't ask the next question, it would only make me feel worse, but I couldn't stop it.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She came home soaking wet and her eyes were all red from crying, but she's okay. I didn't raise my sister to be weak."

"Oh, so you raised her now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," She snapped, but I saw her smile through the darkness. Then she kept walking until she was swallowed by the night.

The night that was never ending.

_Claire_

I avoided everyone when I got home, and they let me be. Not questioning the red eyes or the fact that I was drenched. I didn't speak to them. I just showered and then went in to my room. Eliza had tried to come in my room asking what was up right after I got home, but I didn't answer. She had frowned at this, saying she would just have to figure it out the "hard way." I shuddered at the thought of what she could mean.

I wondered, -but dared not to hope- if Quil would really explain what was going on tomorrow. I could handle problems with anyone, but not Quil. Who do you go to when you can't go to your go-to-guy? I felt like without Quil, I really was alone in the world. It sounded pathetic, but I truly was nothing when I wasn't with him. _God, I love him so much. _What if tomorrow he cuts me loose? Says he doesn't want me, and he doesn't even want us to be friends? What if he's leaving me forever?

I felt like I was going to throw up. I needed some air. Not wanting to face my family, I did something really cliché and climbed out of my bedroom window. This was fairly easy considering we had no window screens and out house is only one story, like most on the reservation.

The night air was cool and moist. But unfortunately, it didn't make me feel better in the least. I leaned over and started dry-heaving, but nothing came up. Actually, I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten anything. I'd skipped both lunch and dinner, and come to think of it breakfast. I would probably have been starving if I wasn't too upset to eat. I leaned back against the house and took deep breaths, trying to relax.

My futile attempts were disrupted three minutes in by the sound of light footsteps coming around the house. I stayed very quiet. She turned the corner then, creeping as quietly as she could. Eliza.

Eliza had just reached her window and was starting to pull it up. "Have a nice walk?" I asked. She jumped and turned towards the sound of my voice, finally noticing me in the shadow of the house.

"Have a nice night with Quil?" She countered back.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Hey, you didn't answer any of my questions before, so why should I treat you any differently?"

"Because I'll tell Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily," I threatened.

"How will you know if I'm telling the truth or not?" She challenged.

"If it's something regular like going to Lilly's you wouldn't be sneaking out. Were you meeting up with a boy?" I smirked.

Eliza hesitated before responding, and I knew that I'd got her. "No way! Who is he?" I practically squealed.

"Well . . . um. Brady." Eliza answered nervously.

"Brady as in werewolf Brady?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No, Brady the mall cop," Eliza answered sarcastically. "Duh Brady the werewolf!"

"I can't believe you snuck off to meet a werewolf," I gushed.

Eliza smiled a little knowing smile, the light from her bedroom window illuminating her face partially, leaving the rest in shadow. It actually made her look rather menacing. "Trust me, there couldn't be a truer statement," And then she disappeared inside the house.


	7. Omega

Author's Note: So, as you know I write from both Quil and Claire's pov. Traditionally, there is one Quil and one Claire in each chapter. But in the next several chapters you will be noticing that this is not the case, and the story will mostly be told from Quil, because I like his pov better. When Claire's story starts to become more interesting, she will be telling the story more, but for now her pov's are going to be short. Sorry for the wait, my computer had a virus. Things aren't perfect now, but at least my documents are okay.

_Quil_

The alarm clock read one in the morning. I let out a frustrated growl and hit my pillow. _Fall asleep! Fall asleep! _My phone screen lit up across the room and I dragged myself out of bed.

_One new text message_, it read. I opened it. It was from Eliza.

_Claire caught me sneaking in. I was with Brady, okay? Can you pass on the message to him? I don't have his # _

I smiled tiredly and replied:

_Fine. So what's the story? Are you two secret lovers? _

She texted back within a minute.

_If Brady is okay with that story, then yes. P.S. delete this conversation. _

I knew that Brady wouldn't mind the story that he was in a secret relationship with Eliza Young. He had had the hots for her for forever. Sure, the entire pack would know it was false the second either of us phased, but he still wouldn't care. I texted him.

_You're in luck dude. Eliza lied and told Claire that she was with you tonight after getting caught sneaking in to the house. I think you two are secretly dating. Just go along with it. _

Brady didn't text back, he must have been back out on patrol with Austin. I sighed and went back to bed. I knew I wouldn't be able to get a real night's sleep though, not with the condition I was in. My stomach was in knots and my head was throbbing. I was so scared to face Claire tomorrow. I had to tell her. Nessie was right about one thing, you couldn't fight the power of the imprint.

I must have managed to fall asleep, because the sound of three urgent howls ripped me away from my dreams. _Three? Oh my god. _This hadn't happened since the arrival of Mia. A new werewolf. Someone had phased. Oh god, like I really needed this right now.

I checked the clock, 9:30 in the morning. _This better not take all day._ I sighed, hopping out of bed and removing my pants before opening my window and dropping out. My room faced the trees (One of the reason's Embry and I had picked this house) so I phased instantly.

It was too late for me to worry about my thoughts, I just had to try and forget about Claire for the next couple hours, the last thing I needed was to get hounded about it.

_No pun intended._ Embry added, entering the line of thoughts. Austin and Brady were there too, along with Leah and the new guy (Who I didn't recognize from his thoughts). The others started to follow quickly. Danny. Then Nolan. Grayson. Collin. Mia.

_Ugh, who's gonna be the sorry sucker to pull Seth and Jake away from Vampire Country? _

_Leah! Go get them! Seth is your brother and we can't do anything without Jake. _Nolan ordered.

_Excuse me? And leave _Embry_ in charge? Have you lost your mind? _

_Wha– What the hell is going on? _That was definitely Newbie's voice.

_My name is not Newbie you cock sucking idiot, _he growled.

I ignored him. _Leah, just go. You're the fastest anyways and you know it._ I groaned.

_Fine, but don't let Embry be an idiot, you're both in charge. And remember, I'm listening. _I saw her turn through her eyes and speed off towards what we all so kindly referred to as "Vampire Country" or sometimes "Leech Land."

_Newbie, just stay where you are, we're coming. _Embry ordered, clearly at least somewhat pleased that with Leah out of the way he was the highest ranking. And boy was Jake gonna be pissed when Leah showed up, he just couldn't get any, poor guy.

_Like you're the one to be talking, Quil, _Embry commented.

_Oh, but you can? If I do recall, Eliza referred to you as being "So whipped" last night. _

_Eliza? _Brady perked up, which caused the inevitable chain of events to start unfolding in my mind. Eliza coming, knowing about vampires, texting me to text Brady, (Brady smiled at this part) and then of course, _Claire_.

Even if I could keep it out of my mind, it triggered the memory of Austin and Brady when I phased. And phasing brought back the memory of why I phased and– _Shit_.

The entire pack, it seemed, was listening in on my mind. Even the Newbie. I smelled him now, we were getting closer.

_Damn Quil. _Mia exclaimed.

_No comment. _But my thoughts commented anyways, telling Mia she could go you-know-what herself.

_Damn Eliza is sexy when she's scary, _Brady said appreciatively.

_Never say that about any fourteen year old girl ever again. _Leah shuddered.

_Hello, _I_ am_ _fourteen! _

_Yeah, and you have been for like fourteen years! _She replied. But I was ignoring them now, because something in my memories had triggered a memory inside of Newbie. This wouldn't have caught my attention if _she_ wasn't there.

We all reached eachother at that point, meeting up with the Newbie in the middle of the forest. The new wolf had rusty orange fur, like a fox. He actually did look a lot like a fox in general.

_A werefox._ Collin chuckled internally.

_Shut up._ Newbie growled.

I couldn't stop thinking of that one flash in his mind. What was Claire doing there? What was _my _Claire doing in _his _mind?

_Your Claire, huh?_ Newbie replied arrogantly.

_Stop calling me Newbie you insufferable mother fucker. My name is Mason. _

_So . . . Mason, where did you come from? I've never seen you before, _Embry asked, stepping towards Mason.

_My mom and me just moved here from northern California. But my family is from here, if that's what you're asking. _

_You got a last name? _Embry continued.

_My dad's was Clark. But I go by my Mom's maiden name, Ateara. _

I jumped.

_Aww, relative love, how sweet. _Mia smirked internally.

_Makes sense, you got the gene from your mom. What's her name? _Embry continued.

Mason looked at me nastily for a second and then gave a wolfy smile. _Clarice, but she goes by Claire. _

Hearing that name was like a stab to my chest, which Mason seemed to smile at.

_Now enough questions, I have a few of my own ya know, like why the fuck I exploded out of my skin and grew a tail. Or maybe why I hear all you guys in my head?_

Both Mia and Leah growled at the word _guys_. Leah was getting closer to Leech Land so she started howling the distress call.

_I think we'll leave most of the questions for Jake, he's our alpha –our leader– and Leah is beta –second– _Embry explained.

_I'm not stupid, I know what an alpha and a beta are,_ Mason snapped.

_Omega, _I thought smugly, staring him down.

_Quil, grow up, _Mia thought.

_Wait, wait, wait, wait! Your name is Quil?_ Mason asked. Then it flooded my head. More Claire. She was talking to the pathetic excuse of a wolf who went by the name of Mason.

Hearing her voice in his head made me cringe. _"I've just had a really confusing night. My best friend Quil has been acting really weird lately. And then tonight he, well, I don't really wunna talk about it."_ In the memory, she looked awful. She was soaking wet and shivering with eyes red from crying. It made me sick to my stomach whenever I saw Claire in less than perfect condition.

I was ready to lunge at him, I wasn't even sure for what exactly. I just hated the guy. Absolutely hated him. But I was interrupted my Jacob's voice entering my head.

_This better be really damn important, this is the third time in two days . . . _he was thinking bitterly.

_I'm sure you more than made up for it earlier today and I'm sure you'll be making up for lost time again when you get home, _Leah commented in an aggravated voice. Jacob's mind was on Renesmee, who was now at the house by herself. He was very uneasy every time he had to be away from her, but the last thing a new werewolf needs is to be in contact with a vampire, so she had to stay behind. Oh god, now he was thinking of how he had made up for lost time earlier in the day.

_Whoa, whoa! Naked woman in my head! _Mason's eyes shot open wide. _Damn, she's hot. _Jacob snarled.

Seth joined in to the thought pool. _Hey! How did we get a new wolf randomly out of the blue but not a new one when Annie came around years ago?_

_Speaking of Annie, what took you so long? I called you like two minutes ago! _Leah scolded him.

Seth accidentally let out a flash on what exactly was taking him so long.

_Why do I keep seeing naked women? _Mason shook his head. Mason also noted, without trying, that Annie was hot, too. Seth didn't like that very much at all.

_Jake, Seth, take it easy on the guy, he can't help it if he's a guy and reacts to seeing smoking hot naked women, _Grayson defended.

_Smoking hot, you say? _Jacob asked.

_No, I didn't say anything actually. It was all Nolan. _Grayson replied quickly.

_Yeah, blame it on me. Some best friend you are._ Nolan (who was one of the older wolves at age seventeen) thought sarcastically.

_Everyone silent! _Jacob ordered. We all let our minds quiet for a minute or two. Jacob and Leah arrived shortly, followed by Seth a few seconds behind.

_What's that burning horrible smell? _Mason cringed.

_That would be Seth, his girlfriend is kind of a vampire. _Jacob nodded towards Seth's large sandy brown body.

_Vampire? You mean vampires are real too? _Mason sounded surprised.

_Yeah, that's the reason we exist. We kill vampires. Protect the tribe. But we have a peace treaty with a coven of vampires in the area, because they hunt animals instead of people. They stay off of our land though, except for my wife, Renesmee, and Seth's girlfriend, Annie. _Jacob explained.

_Wait a minute. So the leader of a pack of vampire hunters is married to a vampire? _Mason asked uncertainly.

_Ironic, huh? _Embry asked.

I could feel Jacob's annoyance, he said this on a weekly basis. _Nessie isn't a vampire. She's half. Basically, her dad knocked up my friend Bella while she was a human and he was a vampire, and after she had Nessie, Bella turned in to a vampire. _

_Wait, so are you married to a vamp or the Loch Ness Monster? _Mason asked.

Jacob snarled.

_Hey, touchy. Innocent question. _Mason said calmly.

_Can I kill him, please? _I asked quietly.

_Quil,_ Jacob warned, the alpha in his voice coming through. I backed off a bit, sitting on the ground. Many of the others did the same, there was really no reason to stand.

_Okay, so Mason. As a new wolf, it is incredibly important for you to control your anger. The littlest thing can set you off, and then you phase. I'm sure you know this by now though, seeing as how you are currently in wolf form. What made you angry? _Jacob asked.

_It was my Dad, I was at the cemetery smoking a cigarette, talking to pretty girls, _his mind flashed to Claire again and the anger flared up inside me. _Anyway, I was just walking around and then I came across my Dad's grave_. He didn't speak after that, but his memories of his father shone through. A drunk and a drug addict who used to abuse his Mom and neglect him. _I just couldn't believe someone actually buried him. He doesn't deserve it. _

The story was sad, but I still hated his guts. Why did he keep thinking of _my_ Claire?

_Claire, Claire, Claire. We get it. _Danny groaned.

_Damn you're possessive. Great guy too, making her that upset. You must be _so _proud of yourself. _Mason commented.

I was shaking with rage. And his comment on me hurting Claire also made the sickness in my stomach even more known.

_But she's even pretty when she's broken. Maybe I'll just have to put her back together again. I don't mind girls that are damaged. Especially not in her case, she's fucking hot in her own way. _Mason continued.

I couldn't take it anymore, I lunged.

_Quil, stop now. _Jacob's voice was thick with Alpha. I had no choice but to back off.

_And you, Mason. Stop trying to piss him off. _Jacob narrowed his eyes. Jacob thought briefly that he was like an even worse version of Paul. Seth laughed internally.

_Much worse. _

_I'm not trying to piss him off, it's _my_ mind. What does it matter if I like Claire? She doesn't belong to him . . . _

_Actually Man, she kinda does. _Embry replied. _It's called imprinting. If you try to take his imprint away from him, he has every right to kick your ass. Or worse._

Jacob and Embry went in to further explanation of imprinting, and immortality, and werewolf powers. Every now and then someone else would add something. I wasn't one of them.

I sat in the back, fuming. The others just ignored me, except Embry, who would shoot me an apologetic glance from time to time, Jake, who would check on me to make sure I wasn't going to attack, and Mason, who liked to throw me cocky looks every chance he got.

I knew he was crazy if he ever thought he would live to see the day where Claire chose him. This guy didn't even have one appealing quality, except maybe his appearance. (Which I wouldn't know considering I'd never seen the guy)

_I'm sexy._ It felt like Mason had whispered it in his ear, which he hadn't of course.

_You know who's sexy? _Brady gave away the answer to the question instantly as a picture of Eliza appeared in his head.

_I wish she would have pretended she was sneaking out to see _me_, then at least she'd have good pretend taste. _Danny added.

_Focus, let Quil continue his little moping session, _Embry scolded. I growled.

Brady was out of the conversation now too, because all he could think about was Eliza in a bikini. And how maybe he should say that in order to be a fake secret boyfriend Claire would have to catch the two of them making out . . . or worse.

I tried especially hard to tune out Brady at that point. Besides, Eliza reminded me of Claire. And I was thinking enough about Claire without her coming at me from other people's heads. _What time is it? _I wasn't trying to make it a question for the other wolves, but they treated it like one anyway.

_Oh gee, let me just pull out my cell phone. _Mia's thoughts were heavy with sarcasm. _Oops, left it with my other body. _I shot her the evil eye, which she pretended to ignore.

I was on edge. Was it past noon? Was Claire waiting? How long had I been here? It felt like hours. What if Claire wasn't there even if I was on time? What if she hated me?

_She totally does, _Mason commented. I growled again, fiercer than I had growled at Embry.

_Get out of my fucking head. _

_I'd love to Princess, but unfortunately it could be days before I phase back. _Mason almost sounded like he was bragging. Because that was really an accomplishment? Who can be a hotheaded werewolf longer? I mean, seriously . . .

_I really get under your skin, don't I? _He taunted.

_If you were smart, you wouldn't end up alone with me. Just a warning. _I threatened back.

He didn't speak back, but I saw the thoughts in his head of me, who he referred to as Princess, being too much of a pussy to do anything. This of course made my memory of Eliza calling me a pussy come back up, like mind vomit.

He laughed bitterly in his mind, _Even Brady's little sexual fantasy agrees with me. _

_Jacob, _I warned him.

_Fine, you can go. _He allowed.

_Thanks Man. _And I was off as fast as I could back towards the rez.

All I was able to do was worry. About Claire, about the time, about what would happen if I was late, about what would happen if I wasn't.

I still heard everyone in the packs' minds, Mason too. (He was and never would be considered a part of the pack to me.) They were back to werewolf talk, but all of Jake's thoughts had the hints of Renesmee in the background. Those two were so sickeningly dangerously madly in love that it was often hard to be around them together. But it was even harder to be around them when they weren't together, because then they were always so depressed. But even though they were annoying to be around, everyone in the pack (minus Seth) was jealous. We weren't jealous because Renesmee was undeniably gorgeous, (well not me and Embry anyways) but we were jealous because of the love they had. They were sure that they would love eachother forever and would never let anything come in between them. And we all wanted that.

I phased the second my house came in to view, I needed to get some clothes on and check the time. I hopped through the window, looking at the clock before anything else. 1:36. _Fuck! _

I threw on the first pair of pants I touched, not bothering with a shirt. I quickly checked my phone, eleven missed calls. And two texts.

The first one, sent at 12:29 read:

_Where are you?_

And the second one, sent at 1:07 read:

_If you didn't want to talk to me you could have just called me or canceled or something, I'm so done with this game of yours_

I dropped my phone instantly and flew out the door, hoping on everything that was good in the world that she would still be there.

_Claire_

It was a secluded part of the beach where no one went. It was in the north, where the water was rougher and there wasn't as much beach. Quil and I had made it "our spot" back when I was only seven years old. I was hoping that Quil had simply forgotten that this was our spot, and was sitting on the sea cliffs waiting for me or something.

It was almost 1:40. He was more than just late, he was a no show. The idea of this was heart breaking. What I must have looked like to anyone if they passed by at that moment, a teenage girl, sitting all alone on the beach, looking like she was going to cry.

I knew it was getting pathetic, and that I should leave while I still had the littlest shred of dignity, but I couldn't. No matter what he did, how mad or sad Quil made me, I would wait for him forever.

_Oh god, I'm so pathetic. _

I felt a drop of rain hit my nose. _Perfect, fucking perfect. _

Then the rain started pouring down. How cliché. I thought the drop of rain followed by instant downpour was something that only happened in cheesy romance movies.

"Claire I am _so, so _sorry," Quil's voice whispered in my ear. I jumped, turning around to find him there. Shirtless. _Oh god._ _Don't get all mushy now, be pissed off at him! _

The rain slid down his muscles, damn it was so sexy. This was going to be a _very_ difficult conversation.


	8. Magical Wolfy Love

**Author's Note: I have this chapter ready, so I'll post it while I can. It's the confrontation we've all been waiting for! **

_Quil_

"Where the hell have you been?" She shouted in anger and obvious hurt. "You weren't answering your phone and you're almost two hours late! Two hours!"

I wanted to comfort her so badly, to wrap my arms around her, but that probably wasn't the best idea at the moment. She looked really upset, and I was reminded of Mason's memory of her at the cemetery. How he had called her broken. This brought my hatred towards mason to the surface.

"There was an emergency. A new werewolf, the first newbie in five years. We all had to go talk to him," I explained with a slight bitterness in my voice.

Claire raised an eyebrow. "Who was it?"

"Your new buddy from the graveyard," I practically spat.

"What?" Claire screeched in shock. "Mason's a wolf!" _How could she say his name without cringing?_

"He's more of a pain in the ass than anything," I breathed.

"Wait a minute, how do you know that I met him at the graveyard last night?" She asked.

"Pack mind, remember? He heard my name and couldn't help but make a connection to a pretty girl from the cemetery named Claire's best friend." Just looking at Claire and thinking of her anywhere near Mason made me sick.

"He mentioned me?"

"Only every five seconds," I was fuming.

"Are you okay?" She asked skeptically.

"No actually, I am not okay. I can't stand the guy and he knows it. He was trying to piss me off the entire time."

"And how was he doing that? You sound awfully unfair considering you barely know the guy."

"I know him better than you, Claire! You talked to the guy for three minutes, I had to listen to his mind for hours. He's the biggest ass I have ever met in my life!" I didn't want to lash out on her . . . But the more I saw her the more I hated Mason for thinking he could ever have her.

"What did he do to make him dislike you?" She demanded again.

"He thought of you! That's all he was doing, just because he knew I didn't like it."

"So now you hate me so much that just having some one think about me makes you mad?" Claire shouted, a hurt look in her eyes.

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry that the thought of me upsets you so much. You know, maybe this little conversation should happen via email so you won't have to look at me! Oh, the horror."

"Claire, you're confused. Ugh, how do I explain this?" I reached up and tugged hard on my hair, hoping the pain would help me focus. "I'm very . . . protective over you. You know how important you are to me and the thought of you being anywhere around _him_–"

"No Quil," She interrupted. "I honestly have no idea how important I am to you anymore. You lie to me, and you always act different when I'm around, and then last night for that one minute I thought that maybe you thought of me as more than just a friend and– Never mind. The point is that you ran away and you didn't call me to tell me you'd be late and I can't do this!" Angry tears started to form in her eyes. She started to walk away, and I followed behind her, reaching out for her shoulder.

"Claire, please wait!" I pleaded, she abruptly stopped walking and whipped around. My feet kept going for a second and I nearly walked in to her. Now we were just inches apart. I could practically feel her anger and hurt radiating off of her skin.

"Wait for _what?_ For you to fill me up with more promises you don't follow through on? I came here for an explanation, not a fight, and if you'll excuse me, I would like to go home now." She shouted.

"I'm trying to explain things! I'm trying."

"Well you're failing," She pushed my arm off of her and stormed away, tears fresh on her face mixed in with the rain. I followed behind her up until she reached Emily's car and got in. She drove off, leaving me in the rain.

I ran through the forest as fast as my human feet could take me. I would _not_ phase with Mason still in werewolf form. When I arrived at her house, she wasn't back yet. No one was home at all. I sat on her porch, letting the rain soak through to my bones.

_You can do this Quil, you can do this._ I exhaled loudly. A minute later my heart skipped. I heard her car getting closer and closer.

When she got close enough to see me on her porch, she was torn between surprised and pissed. She got out of the car quickly and slammed the door behind her.

"How did you get here so fast?" She glared at me.

"I ran."

She looked genuinely impressed for a millisecond before the anger returned to her beautiful features.

"Well run home, Quil." She sighed.

"I can't."

"Try."

I walked up right in front of her, placing a hand gently on each shoulder and looking in to her eyes. "I can't be away from you, Claire," I admitted. "Every time I am it's like all the oxygen in my lungs is sucked out of me. When I'm not with you all I can think about is the next time I'll see you. You want to know how important you are to me? You're the most important thing in my life."

Claire looked shocked. "Quil," She breathed. She stood only a few inches away from me now. "Quil I don't understand . . ." She looked at me quizzically. Her eyes were slightly red from crying and she looked tired, really tired. Her wet clothing clung to her skin, showing her small frame. Something about her, just looking that way was so incredibly beautiful. I felt my control slip away like it had last night, but this time I didn't stop myself.

I grabbed her face with both of my hands and brought my lips to hers, hard and fierce and passionate. I felt her freeze at first, and then, as if she realized what was happening for the first time, she gasped. Then her lips started to move with mine.

I pulled her body right up against mine and lifted her up to be at the same level as me. Claire wrapped her legs around me as tightly as she could as her mouth continued to attack mine.

My tongue slipped in to her mouth, which seemed to take her off guard for a moment before she welcomed it. Her tongue was soft and warm and moist. And the taste . . . . God she tasted so good.

Claire ran her hands across my face for a moment before she knotted them in to my hair trying to pull my face even closer to hers. I removed one of my hands from her face and slid it down her back, sending a tremor throughout her body. Then I placed my hand firmly on her ass to make sure she wouldn't slip down. I squeezed it gently and was rewarded with the most beautiful noise I had ever heard. Claire moaned softly in to my mouth.

Never had I heard a sound that had turned me on so much. I was eager, almost desperate to get that reaction out of her again. I carried us backwards a bit until we hit the wall of the house. I pressed her up against it and removed my lips from hers, kissing anything else my lips could reach. Her temple, her collar bone, her jaw, her neck.

The minute my lips made contact with her neck, another soft moaned escaped from her lips. Then I went up to her ear, gently putting the lobe between my teeth. This time was even better, she moaned _my name_.

"Quil!"

"Do you like that?" I whispered hotly in her ear before quickly sticking my tongue in it.

"God Quil, you don't even know what you're doing to me," Her breathing was slightly uneven. I smiled mischievously and then pressed my lips to hers again.

Kissing her was an unexplainable pleasure. I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to. (Which I sure as hell didn't) As I kissed her more and more passionately, I forced her body harder and harder against the wall. Not to mention the fact that I had a boner of epic proportions . . .

"You're mine," I told her, pulling away to let her breathe, "No one else can have you."

"I don't want anyone else to have me," She admitted, staring at me with an admiring look in her eyes. "Only you."

I smiled and then chuckled. "Did the last few minutes really just happen, or am I dreaming?"

"You mean," She began, "Did you really just grab me, kiss me and then shove me against the wall of my house and make me moan out your name on several different occasions? Yeah, I think you did."

"Wow," I breathed. "Thank god. I don't know if I could wake up from this and have to see you another day pretending that I'm not hopelessly madly in love with you," I admitted.

She gasped lightly again, looking at me in a strange way. "Do you actually mean that?" Claire asked hesitantly.

"Every single word."

"Oh Quil!" She sighed, leaning back in to me and starting another round of kissing. My entire body was alive and burning with passion and excitement. I was really kissing _her_ mouth. I was really holding _her _face. Her legs were actually wrapped around _my_ body. Her hands were actually knotted in _my_ hair.

Someone behind us cleared their throat. I removed my lips from Claire's instantly, letting her slide down my body and turning to see who the noise had come from. But of course I already knew . . .

"We have neighbors. Could you throw my sister against a wall on the _back_ of the house?" Eliza asked me.

"Sure thing," I blushed.

"Hi Claire," Eliza said casually, reaching in to her pocket for her house keys. "Your shirt's kind of see through," She told her, unlocking the door. My eyes instantly turned to Claire's white shirt, which had soaked all the way through. I hadn't even noticed it before. I tried to stop a stupid grin from spreading across my face. The bra underneath was _red_.

Claire looked at me and blushed. Eliza stepped inside and motioned for us to follow. I grabbed Claire's hand and led her inside. "So," She said as she made her way plopped down on a couch in the living room, "What's new with you two?"

"Well in case it wasn't obvious, we were playing poker," Claire rolled her eyes.

"With your tongues? Sounds interesting," Eliza pulled out her cell phone quickly to check it before putting it back in her pocket.

"Is there anything in particular you want?" I asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"There are several things I want, one of which being a puppy. But no, Sam says puppies are messy. Tragic, don't you think? They're just so cute! A million dollars would be nice too. And I wouldn't complain if there was a Starbucks closer than Port Angeles. Oh, and I want to know why I heard howling at like nine in the morning." Eliza spoke slowly and casually, picking at her nails. I wondered what kind of game she was playing this time.

"Ask Embry or something, I'd rather not re-account how I spent my morning." I frowned.

"Whatever, you know I'll find out."

"You always do," I sighed. The memories of Mason made me pull Claire closer to me. I needed to claim her in every way. Claire was mine. Always mine. _Only_ mine.

"Umm, can we go now?" Claire rolled her eyes and squeezed my hand. "I want to spend some time with my boyfriend."

My heart felt it was going to explode out of my chest. I looked down at her, "Boyfriend?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, boyfriend."

My smile was so wide that it actually hurt my cheeks. I bent down and grabbed her face and our lips met once again. "Oh god. Go away!" Eliza groaned.

I parted my lips slightly away from Claire's, keeping close enough to feel her sweet breath on my face. "Bye Liza," I said, taking Claire right arm and leading her out of the back door.

I guided her away from the house, heading in the direction of the trees. Claire wasn't able to keep pace with me very well. "Slow down there, Speedy Gonzales," She giggled.

I smirked and stopped altogether. She nearly crashed in to me. "I'll show you fast," I said, picking her up and putting her on my back piggy-back style. "Hold on," I warned. And then I was off.

Claire let out a shriek of surprise at the initial speed. I was in the forest then, but wanted to keep going. When we got far enough in to the forest that I couldn't see the houses anymore I stopped and laughed, plucking her small body off of my back and placing her in front of me.

"Jesus Superman! What was that?" She asked.

"Hey, I gave you a three second in advance warning."

"This is true," She replied in a breathy voice, running her hands gently across my bare chest. My body tingled everywhere she touched me.

"Having fun?" I asked her, looking down at her hands that were now sliding up and down my arms.

"You're so hot," Claire commented.

"Yeah, remember what I told you? Us werewolves sit at about 108 degrees or so."

"No, I don't mean heat hot, I mean sexy."

"You think I'm_ sexy_?" I asked in disbelief.

"Oh my god! Yes!" She exclaimed.

"You're one to talk," I said, my eyes going back to her soaked shirt and red bra. The wet shirt hugged her body, showing all of her curves perfectly and– _damn she's gorgeous_. Claire followed my eyes down to her chest and blushed.

"Why do I even bother to wear white here? It rains every day," She frowned.

"I don't mind," The stupid grin returned to my face. She stepped up closer to me and continued to run her hands across the plains of my chest. The feeling of her hands on my bare skin made me so hard downstairs.

"Please stop that, it's turning me on so much right now and I don't have the strongest self control," I warned.

She moved closer to me and now my body was pressed against hers. "I don't mind," She quoted me. Then, oh so gently, she pressed her lips to my chest. A small moan slipped out of my mouth.

"I want you, Quil," She whispered in a sexy voice.

"I'm yours Baby, whatever part of me you want,"

"I want _everything_," She whispered. And then I couldn't take it. I grabbed her and brought her up to my lips as fast as I possibly could. The second Claire's lips crashed against mine she was already pulling at my head, trying to get our faces closer. Her legs were tight and secure around my body and she was kissing me as hard as she could. She opened her mouth to let me in and my tongue attacked hers. For a girl that had never been in a relationship before, she was a great kisser.

I wanted to tell her again how much I loved her, but couldn't bear to remove my lips from hers. As I kissed her, all of the tension and hurt from the last couple of days just melted away. Even Mason wasn't important anymore. It was just Claire. Just my Claire.

"You're mine forever," I moaned in to her mouth. "No one else can ever have you."

"Mmm," She hummed, kissing me with a fierce passion. I pulled her down with me on to the forest floor so she was sitting on my lap with her legs on either side of me. All the while our lips stayed glued together. Every time I would release her lips even slightly she would be gasping for air. I knew I was going far and going there fast, but I couldn't bring myself to stop. And Claire didn't seem to want me to.

I slid my hand under her shirt and felt my way up her stomach. Then, without thinking, I pulled the shirt up and over her head, tossing it behind her once it was off. I felt her smile. She actually _liked_ this.

I inched my hand up until it came in contact with the bottom of her bra. Then, without me giving it permission to do so, my right hand pounced on her breast. Claire let out a loud moan in to my mouth as I squeezed her boob in my hand. _Oh god I love this bra. _I was so fucking turned on. I wondered momentarily if her underwear matched.

"Claire," I pulled my lips away from hers, keeping our foreheads pressed together, "What do your underwear look like?"

"Why don't just take off my shorts and see for yourself?" She whispered sexily, her lips nearly touching mine. I undid the button on her shorts quickly and removed them. Her panties matched. I smiled excitedly.

"You look so hot in red. So fucking hot." In response, Claire started to grind on my erection, which was placed ideally in between her legs.

"Be careful Claire," I warned. "I'm not wearing anything under these shorts. I could end up doing god knows what to you."

"Please do," she continued to grind on me. The rubbing of our bodies was intoxicating.

"I love you so much Claire," I moaned.

"In case it hasn't been blatantly obvious, I love you too," She admitted, stopping her hip movements and kissing me softly on the lips. I had never felt happier in my life than at that moment. Her words kept replaying in my head.

"I love you more," I smiled.

"I don't think so," She kissed me again.

"Claire, I'm not just in love with you. I'm in loooove with you. Magical wolfy love," I said. Her eyebrows rose.

"You _imprinted _on _me_?" She asked in slight disbelief.

"Yeah, I did," I admitted quietly, not able to look at her face. Despite everything, I was still nervous about telling her.

"When?" She asked.

"You know when, Claire. Remember what I told you about imprinting?"

"You imprinted on me when I was _two?_" This was about the part of the conversation where she would run away.

"Yeah. I mean, it wasn't romantic back then but . . . yeah," I was still too horrified to look at her.

"And I'm your magical soul mate forever?" She asked.

"That's how it works." I caved then and looked up at her. Claire was smiling ecstatically.

She jumped in to my arms and started planting kisses all over my face. I couldn't believe it. Not only was she not completely disgusted with me, but she was thrilled.

"Forever?" She whispered against my mouth.

"Forever."


	9. Prove It

**Author's Note: I will be out of town from the 29****th**** of July until the 16****th**** of August, so I can't promise that I'll be able to post any chapters during that time. But I'll try to post as much as I can before then. Thanks to all the people who are subscribing! **

_Claire_

There was no feeling in the world like kissing Quil Ateara. Every time our mouths met it felt like fireworks were exploding inside of me. In the course of one hour, I had went from thinking Quil hated me to being his absolute true love. It was when he told me that that I truly realized how much I loved him. Now I couldn't imagine five minutes without him, let alone the rest of my life. It reminded me of my favorite book. I was going to love him till the day I died . . . And if there was life after that, I would love him then.

"I love you Quil," I mumbled while kissing him. In response, he kissed me harder. His hands ran across my bare back, leaving chills despite how warm they were. The rain dripping down from the tree branches would have been cold on my practically naked body if it weren't for Quil. When the rain touched him I swore I heard it sizzle on his skin. Being encircled in his arms kept me warmer than any blanket ever could.

"I am never going to get tired of hearing that," He breathed softly as he pulled his mouth away from mine.

"Never ever? I bet after hearing it a couple million times it will get a little old . . ."

"Never," He replied surely.

I pulled away from him slightly so I could speak more clearly. "I love you." And I planted a kiss on his cheek. "I love you." His shoulder. "I love you." Temple. "I love you." Jaw. "I love you." Collar bone. "I love you." I let my lips brush gently across his skin from his collar bone back to his lips. "I love –" I was cut off my the intensity of his lips pressed against mine. His hands moved from my back to my ass, pulling me up hard against his cock. I started to grind on him again. The feeling of it made my whole body feel weak and unstable as the pleasure rocked through my body.

"Mmm," I moaned.

"Claire." I had never heard anything better than the sound of him moaning my name. I felt like I no longer was in control of my body. The pleasure dominated my actions. Quil slid a hand down the back of my silk panties and gripped at the bare skin of my ass underneath it. Everything he was doing was turning me on so much. The wetness in my panties were only partially because of the rain. I wanted Quil so badly.

"Quil, how do you feel about premarital sex?" I asked curiously, running my hands all over his body.

"Normally I'd be against it, but with you . . . I think I can make an exception," He smiled mischievously.

"Perfect," I breathed. Then Quil pulled me away from him.

"Claire, we are not going to have sex in the middle of the forest when there are twelve werewolves who could run by at any given time," He said.

I pouted. "You'll hear if anyone is coming."

"I somehow doubt I'll be paying any attention to that," Quil smirked.

"Fine," I pouted deeper. Quil smiled at my little kid pouty face.

"You really want to do that with me?" He asked.

"You ask a lot of stupid questions. If I didn't do you think I would be in my underwear?" I glared at him, but then followed it up with a quick kiss on the lips.

"Well, ya know, since everyone is phased right now, Embry won't be at home. Probably not for quite a while." The mischievous smile returned to his face.

"Oh really now?" I raised an eyebrow. Quil pulled me to him and kissed me hugely.

"We're being very irresponsible," I noted, really not caring.

"Emily won't mind," Quil whispered.

"What?" This was my first time hearing of this . . .

"Yeah, um, at your birthday party she kinda set some rules and regulations that went along with be being able to tell you my secrets."

"What were they?" I was genuinely curious.

"She said I could tell you about werewolves and imprinting. Then she said something about needing to see you at least four times a week, even if you don't spend any nights at home." I smiled at that one. "And she said that if you're staying with me you can never miss school and you'll always have to be on time." I frowned. "Then she said that it was unrealistic to enforce the whole sex-before-marriage thing because no one who imprinted has been able to follow it, and she would be hypocritical to say otherwise."

"I love Auntie Emily," I smiled.

"Me too," Quil smiled. "But I love you the most."

"The most the most? More than anyone else?" I questioned giddily.

"More than everyone else combined," He smiled.

"I feel like I'm in a fairy tale."

"Sweetie, if this was a fairy tale I'd be the big bad wolf trying to eat you."

I giggled.

"Okay, well I am considerably horny at the moment, do you wanna leave?"

"You know I do." I grabbed my discarded clothes and put them back on, they were cold and clingy and now dirty as well.

"Can we stop at my house first so I can dry off a bit and change?" I asked.

"I don't really plan on keeping you in the clothes for very long Claire," Quil reasoned.

"But they're itchy and I'm still soaking wet. Come on, it will only take me a minute," I persuaded.

"You know I'll do anything for you," Quil smiled, leading me back through the trees and towards home.

_Quil_

It may have been stupid to be nervous, but I was. As I led the world's most amazing girl through the forest, I couldn't help but think of what we'd committed to doing. Sure, it would be great for me, but my biggest and only fear was hurting Claire. I knew from the other guys that it would hurt her at first with any guy, but um, with werewolves there was also the size issue . . . What else would you expect from such tall guys?

But at the same time, I was completely filled with bliss. Claire loved me, she wanted me, and she was going to get me. I picked Claire up and ran until we hit the tree line, then I let her down but kept hold of her. Claire beckoned her finger for me to lean down, as if she needed to tell me a secret. When I was at her level she kissed me briefly on the lips.

"Sorry, I just can't stop doing that," She apologized.

"Trust me, I don't mind at all," I said in a low voice, picking her up and wrapping her around me. Our mouths met yet again in a long passionate kiss.

I kept her that way, kissing her the entire rest of the way to her house. It was only right when we neared the back door that I released her. I felt like her scent had completely enveloped me. Her essence was the only thing that mattered to me.

So I guess being around Claire really did dull my senses, because it wasn't until I reached the back door that I smelled them inside.

"You have company," I whispered, opening the door. They were in the living room. Eliza was lounging on an antique chair across from Jacob and Brady who were on the couch. Leah sat in the love seat. Eliza was mid-story when we walked in.

"And so I was just walking up to the house, right? And bam! There they were just– Oh hey guys," Eliza noticed us for the first time.

"I'm going to go change, kay?" Claire said softly, evading the room, and leaving me at the mercy of my best friend, a crazy chick, a love-struck fourteen year old boy, and my girlfriend's little all-knowing sister.

"Hey Quil," Jake smiled.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked quickly.

"We wanted to inform Sam about Mason," I growled when Jake said the name, "But Liza said him and Em took Amelia shopping in Port Angeles."

"Then why is Brady here, shouldn't it be Embry?" I asked.

"Brady wanted some human time," Leah smirked, her eyes adding: _AKA Eliza time._

"I still can't believe there is a Newbie! Oh and by the way, I'm back to knowing everything again," Eliza smiled brilliantly.

"So you're all just waiting for Sam to get back I guess?" I tried to prolong the inevitable a little longer.

"Yeah, but it's okay, Eliza is a great hostess," Brady nodded appreciatively.

"Yeah, ironically, we were _just_ talking about you," Leah winked.

"Figures," I muttered.

"You had her wrapped around you against a wall? Really?" Brady exclaimed.

"Forget about that! Where did you two just come from?" Jacob smiled.

"You sound like girls," I groaned.

"We'll just have to find out later, and that will be the full details version," Brady warned.

"Shoot me in the face," I moaned. I was never going to live this down.

"Hey, when me and Nessie told you guys about us it was after you caught us making out. Or poor Seth . . . You're just so easy to embarrass, man," Jacob laughed.

"Are you guys harassing my boyfriend?" Claire asked, walking out of the hallway and over to me in a new outfit.

"It's kind of entertaining . . ." Eliza smirked.

"You just love seeing Quil squirm, Liza," Jake chuckled.

"I can assure you I have no idea what you're talking about," Eliza said nonchalantly.

"My favorite part was when you referred to Embry as 'whipped,'" Leah laughed.

"Quil," Eliza turned to me, "You actually told them about this? Where's your pride, dude?" I blushed.

"They were in my head, I'd never actually tell them that."

"What do you mean in your head?" Eliza asked.

"Wait, Eliza Young doesn't know something about werewolves, record the date and time!" Brady hooted. Eliza glared at him.

"Wait a minute, what do they mean? What did Eliza do?" Claire looked up at me for answers.

"She may have come and talked to me last night . . ." I admitted.

"What?" Claire exclaimed.

"She just told me that she knew I was a werewolf and some other stuff," I shrugged. But my red face made it clear that I wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Other stuff?" She inquired.

"Essentially, she told Quil to stop being a scaredy cat and tell you about the imprint. And then there was this bit about you being upset and something that had to do with the fact that Quil ran out after almost kissing you." Jacob explained. I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand repeatedly.

Claire turned to Eliza. "So I'd take it you didn't sneak off to see Brady last night."

"Not a total lie, Quil is still a werewolf, and he _is_ a boy." Eliza said.

"Damn it, so does that mean I'm not fake dating Eliza anymore?" Brady leaned back hard against the couch and gave an over-exaggerated pout. I was only partially aware of this, because most of my attention was dedicated to forehead slapping.

"Quil, you're gonna leave a mark," Claire tried unsuccessfully to stop my arm from slapping.

She tried a new tactic. "Please, for me?" She asked sweetly. I stopped.

"If he has a concussion I'm taking you all to court for breaking my boyfriend," Claire threatened. I loved hearing her call me her boyfriend.

"I'm fine, Claire. Don't worry." She smiled and put her arms around my neck, pulling herself up until her lips could reach mine. The kiss reminded me of what was really important . . . Her.

"We're leaving, if you need to get in touch with either of us, don't you dare," I waved and grabbed Claire, leading her back out the back door.

"That was horrible," I groaned, pulling her close to me.

"Don't let them get to you, Baby. Eliza is crazy and your friends are just messing with you. Just keep in mind that you are and always will be plenty enough man for me. Jacob can't talk at all, he practically chews Nessie's food for her to make sure she won't choke," Claire giggled.

"Did I mention that I love you?" I asked, leaning down and pressing my forehead to hers, our lips inches apart.

"It wouldn't kill you to mention it again. But later, right now I am horny as fuck and I want to get to your house as fast as possible," She said.

And despite being mortified, I couldn't ignore how much I wanted to have sex with her. "You got it," I chuckled, grabbing her and putting her on me piggy-back style. We arrived at home in less than a minute. (It really wasn't that far from Claire's)

I pulled her around to the front of my body and kissed her as we slipped through the door. I was still slightly wet from the earlier rain so Claire's teal shirt was covered in wet marks. I went straight to my room and leaned her back on the bed, gently resting on top of her. I supported most of my weight on my elbows, but Claire was too preoccupied to care anyways. After a minute or so of kissing I sat us back up and placed her on my lap.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Claire?" I asked hesitantly, "It's gonna hurt you, and you're barely sixteen."

"Trust me," She smiled, "I want you in every way possible. And sixteen _is_ the age of consent so . . ."

"In that case, I really love you in teal but I would like to take your shirt off," I told her.

"Go ahead," She breathed. Claire's red bra had been soaking wet, so she had changed it. But this one was still undeniably sexy. It was black and lacy.

"Nice," I grinned.

"Victoria's Secret," Claire giggled. I slid down her shorts to find a matching pair of lacy cheekies. Once her shirt and shorts were on the floor I kissed her, at the same time trying to undo her bra clasp. When I got it undone Claire pulled the bra off of her. I was tempted to look down at her bare skin, but just continued to kiss her. Her hard nipples pressed against my bare skin.

"You know you wunna peek," She said in to my mouth. But I didn't want to stop kissing her. Her tongue was so far in to my mouth I thought I was going to swallow it. But I did allow my hands to find their way up to her bare chest. Claire moaned when my hands started to touch her boobs.

They were round and soft, with the exception of her nipples, which were hard and pointed. I traced my index finger around one of her nipples, teasing her. Then I took it in between my fingers and teased it. She pulled her tongue out of my mouth. "Don't stop!" She moaned.

"Wasn't planning on it," I said in a low voice. Then I laid her back on my bed again and hovered over her. I continued to grope her right breast with my hand and then put my mouth on her left one. The taste of her skin was fantastic. I flicked my tongue across her nipple and her entire body shook. She moaned out my name.

I wanted to pleasure her for as long as possible, which would hopefully make up for the painful part. I sucked on her boob with intensity, causing several more moans on her part. Then she pushed me away.

"What's wrong?" I asked, scared. Was I moving to fast for her? Should I have asked her first.

"You're wearing too much clothing," She informed me. I smiled. Then my Claire was on top of me, her dainty hand running across my package several times as she pulled down my shorts. Every brush of her hand made me moan loudly. I couldn't control it. When my shorts were down, my dick came flying up.

"He's saying hi," I said. She looked down at my dick, eyes wide with shock and maybe fear.

"Wow," She breathed.

"You nervous yet?" I asked her, half joking but half serious.

"Not really, I mean, we were made for eachother, right?" I saw in her eyes though that she was in fact a little scared.

"Don't worry Baby, I'll go slow and I'll stop whenever you want," I assured her.

"Okay, now take off my panties," She ordered.

"You're so fucking sexy when you take charge," I said, slowly slipping her panties off. She was so beautifully perfect, completely naked. Completely mine. I ran my index finger across her wet folds, causing the loudest moan I had ever heard come out of her mouth. This encouraged me, and I slowly touched her clit. This made her body quiver and she let out a high pitched moan.

"Oh my god!" She shouted. "Oh, Quil!"

I was going too far with her. I knew I was. Two hours ago, Claire didn't even know I loved her. It had been less than two hours since we shared our first kiss, and now we were naked in my bedroom.

I wanted her so badly. _So_ badly. But was I being selfish? The last thing I wanted was for her to do this and then regret it later.

"Claire, I don't know if we should do this," I whispered.

"But . . . You . . . You don't want to?" Claire sounded slightly hysterical as she uttered the words. She pulled away from me.

"No! Claire you know I want to, don't be silly. It's just that I want to make sure that _you_ want to. Really want to. You may think you want to now, but I don't want you to regret doing this," I couldn't look in to her eyes, even though I desperately wanted to see how she was reacting to my words.

"You obviously still think of me as a child," She scoffed.

"No, you know it isn't like that, Claire. You are very, _very _much a woman. But that doesn't mean you don't have free will."

"You're damn right I have free will. And right now I am _choosing _to do this. Remember what I told you earlier? I love you. God, I love you. I love you more than a teenage girl _should_ be able to love someone," She said surely. I still didn't look in to her eyes.

"Quil, look at me," She pleaded, grabbing my face and trying to force me to look at her. I gave in and let her. Her eyes were honest and true and maybe a little desperate. "I love you. I want you. I _need_ you, Quil. You're _mine_, and I don't want there to be any hint of doubt in that fact."

"I love you so much," I said, pulling her closer to me and just holding her.

"Prove it," She whispered sexily in my ear before quickly poking her tongue in it. Then, I'm not sure how to describe it. It was like my insides phased and I became an animal in my human body. I was no longer in control, my want for her was. I pulled her as close to me as possible and had her put her knees on the bed so she could raise to the same height as me while I sat on the bed. This actually made her a few centimeters taller than me. Her body was pressed against mine as tight as possible, and I felt the wetness from her vagina on my stomach. I pulled her mouth to mine and kissed her with a fiery burning passion. Claire started to slide her body up and down on mine slightly, spreading the wetness around. I couldn't take the teasing anymore and pried her body off of mine, lowering her until her back hit the comforter.

Three howls.

I froze. My mind was reeling. _Again?_ What the hell! Is anyone with even the slightest dose of wolf gene exploding out of their skin? Why was this happening? Why now?

"Quil?" Claire said uncertainly, her face anxious.

"Did you hear that too?" I asked. She nodded slowly.

"There's another one."

"Another new werewolf?" She sat up. I frowned and nodded.

"Great fucking timing," I mumbled.

"You mean you have to _go_?" Claire asked in disbelief.

"I don't really have a choice," I said bitterly.

"Ughhh!" She groaned loudly.

"I know," I frowned, pulling her to me. "And I don't think I'll get early dismissal this time either, being horny doesn't count as an excuse. My break time is over."

"This sucks," She pouted. I couldn't agree more.

"I lifted her face up to mine and kissed her hard on the lips. She let me in and I kissed her desperately for close to a minute. Then slowly, I pulled away.

"Go home. I'll be a while. I'll come see you when I can, I promise."

"Can't you be a _few_ minutes late?"

"I could, but if they found out why I could be in for a very serious ass kicking."

"Well I don't want that to happen, so fine. Go," Claire allowed, pecking me on the lips. I looked at her one last time before opening the window and racing out. I let the anger of my time with Claire cut short wash through me and by the time I hit the trees, I was a werewolf.

_This will be fun . . . _I thought bitterly.


	10. Family Full of Secrets

I, apparently was the last one to phase. Jacob, Brady, and Leah were already full-on wolf and making their way over to the _new_ Newbie, where the rest of the pack was. I tried to run extra fast so I wouldn't be trailing too far behind them

_Nice of you to finally join us,_ Mia commented sarcastically. I brushed the comment off, trying to keep my thoughts in control. As a distraction, I focused in on the new wolf's thoughts, and recognized this one instantly. We knew this was a possibility for him . . . But so soon?

It was Nolan's thirteen year old brother, Jamie. I'd never spoken to the kid much; Nolan's family was one of the families that didn't know he was a wolf, so none of us hung around there much. And man, was poor Jamie scared out of his wits. Nolan was trying to comfort him, but getting the silent treatment.

_I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Jamie. But you're just a kid, I didn't want to freak you out! _Nolan defended. _None of us really thought you would phase at all, there hasn't been any new wolves in years before today. And even if you did phase, we didn't think it would happen when you were so young! _

_Well moron, it did. A little heads up would have been nice. Then maybe I would know what the hell was going on. _

Leah reached the group, Jacob right behind her. Brady was a few paces behind him. I was still a minute away.

_Jacob will explain, _Grayson thought to Jamie. But I could tell that Jacob's head was a mess right now. He wanted to go home and see Nessie so bad. I knew how he felt . . . and I had just been with Claire two minutes ago. I stopped myself instantly. _Don't let your thoughts trail! _I scolded myself.

_Got something to hide, Quil?_ Seth asked teasingly.

_No,_ I replied, but my thoughts made it clear that I did.

_Anyone know a word that causes word vomit of the mind? _Seth questioned openly.

_Wouldn't that just be called mind vomit? _Embry thought.

_Try something random, like say cream cheese or egg rolls or something,_ Danny offered up to Seth.

_No, just keep asking questions repeatedly until he caves! _Collin's thoughts were almost enthusiastic.

_Or we could just bring up the fact that he had Claire pressed up against her house earlier. When Eliza got home she was all over him! _Brady added.

_As uninteresting as all of this sounds, I'm still wondering why I have four legs and a tail, _Jamie thought bitterly.

I reached them then. They were all sitting in a circle, and I took my usual spot next to Embry. The first thing I noticed was the newest wolf, Jamie. He was small, but not as small as Leah or the smallest, Mia. His stomach, chest, and the fur around his eyes was all white, but his fur was light gray. He kind of resembled one of those sled dogs in Alaska. Jamie growled at me.

_What the fuck! I just __**growled**_ _at somebody! _Jamie exclaimed.

_Yeah, but it's Quil, so it doesn't really matter. _Mason thought nastily. My eyes narrowed as my head whipped to my left. He was about four wolves clockwise from me in the circle we were sitting in, looking as fox-like as ever.

_Hey Mason, learn how to phase back yet? _I retorted.

_Hey Quil, you mention me to _Claire_ yet? _

I snarled at him. Trying to keep everything buried deep. A few flashes of the fighting between Claire and I came through, though. The ones where I mentioned Mason being a werewolf.

_Seth, _Mason turned to the sandy wolf, _I think I may be able to trigger some mind vomit. _He turned back to me, _You can't control your thoughts forever, wouldn't you just love to be thinking of Claire right now? I bet you had to leave her to come here. What were you two up to before you left? _

I couldn't control myself as a couple more flashes slipped through my mind. Kissing Claire. Her in her red bra. Her moaning my name. _Stop! _I commanded myself.

_Oh god, can we all stop acting like we hate each other and focus on the matter at hand? _Leah asked in an aggravated voice.

_ But Leah, I want details! _Seth whined.

_You want to bring up details, lets talk about what you and Annie were doing last night during your sleepover, _Leah teased. If Seth could have blushed, his face would be as red as a tomato.

_Mind vomit's a bitch._ I noted.

_So is Leah, _Seth muttered quietly.

_Don't mess with me Seth, _Leah warned.

_Everyone focus! _Nolan hissed. _Quil, stop planning Mason's murder. Mason, stop being a dick. Seth, stop messing with Quil, we're saving that for tomorrow. Leah, stop messing with Seth, we can do that tomorrow, too. Brady, stop trying to guess what Eliza looks like naked, she's fourteen. Jacob, pull your head out of your ass and focus, the sooner you do, the sooner we can all go home. My little brother deserves all of our attention. _

_ Hey, I didn't get everyone's attention earlier . . ._ Mason shared.

_Yeah, but you're an ass hole, so I really don't care._ Nolan gave a wolfy shrug.

I was really starting to like Nolan . . .

Jake shook his head, trying hard to clear it. Embry was the only wolf between me and him. Our alpha was sitting at the head of the circle, with most important wolves close on either side of him. Jacob had always cared deeply about the tribe, and was a great alpha when he was around. But he didn't necessarily _want_ to be alpha. He knew that he was the best fit for the job, and it was his rightful position, but he felt bad all the time. If he didn't spend enough time in La Push, he felt bad. But every time he was away from Renesmee, he felt even worse. He loved being a werewolf, and he loved his wife, and he hated that he couldn't perform his best at both of the jobs.

_I'm sure she's okay, Jake,_ Seth tried to reassure him. Ever since Seth fell for Annie, the two had become really close. I guess being all lovey-dovey with vampires was a real bonding experience. I sensed Jamie listening in to my thoughts.

_Vampires? Wait, wait, wait, wait! Did you really just say the word vampires or did I imagine it? _

_You didn't. _Embry replied. _I guess I'll start talking while Jacob clears his head. _

_No it's okay, I can do this, _Jake thought surely. We all tried to mute our thoughts so the conversation could begin.

_Jamie, do you know the stories of the tribe? About spirit warriors who turned in to werewolves and protected the tribe? _

_ Kind of, I heard them when I was a kid. And from the fact that I am currently in furry beast form, I assume that you are about to tell me that these stories aren't just stories, _Jamie thought.

_Well aren't you smart, _Embry chuckled internally.

_We aren't real werewolves. Technically we are shape-shifters. There are real werewolves though, or there used to be, the kind who come out during the full moon and bite humans to turn them in to them. But with us, we more or less control when we phase, and you're a werewolf because of your ancestry. _

_ That's really awesome and all, but what exactly does this mean for me?_

_It means that it's your job to protect the tribe, _Jacob replied.

_ From what, teen drinking? _Jamie thought sarcastically.

_From the same thing it says in the legend, from the same thing Quil was just thinking about, vampires. _Embry shared.

_When we phase for the first time, it usually means that vampires are near. Which is true in this case, but odd that it's happening now. Twelve was plenty enough to take care of nine . . . and a half. _Mia added. Both Jacob and Seth snarled ferociously at her.

_Whoa! Down boys! I'm not saying that we would actually ever _need_ to do anything! It was just a comment. _Mia defended quickly.

_More questions over here! _Jamie called the attention back to him. _One: If there are nine and a half vampires around and you claim you can handle them why haven't you offed them already? Two: How can there be a half of a vampire? Did someone cut its legs off? _

_Umm, I'd be careful with that conversation topic. The situation with the Cullens is a bit . . . touchy around here. _Leah warned.

_The Cullens? I thought that was just a stupid story! _Jamie exclaimed.

_They're all vampires. But we have a treaty with them. They don't kill people, so we let them live, _Grayson explained to him.

_But . . . _Jamie didn't voice the next part, but we all saw it run through his head. He was thinking that Jacob was _married_ to a Cullen. The peculiar, prettiest one with the strange name and the fast aging. The one who was technically the same age as him.

_You asked how there could only be _half _a vampire . . . _Embry said.

_She's half human. _Jacob explained for the second time that day that he was not married to a vampire. And then he said how Seth's girlfriend Annie was a _full_ vampire. He continued how saying that the treaty strengthened when Renesmee was born. And then he explained imprinting.

_Actually, while we're on that topic. Quil and his imprint, Claire have had quite the day. _Embry commented.

I pawed at him and growled.

_Claire Young? Your best friend? _He looked at me, I nodded. _Isn't she a little young for you? _

This brought on the conversation of werewolf abilities and how we didn't age. Then Jake brought up phasing, and asked what made Jamie phase.

_I don't want to talk about it,_ he thought quietly. But he wasn't yet practiced in hiding his thoughts and the images slipped out. Apparently, Jamie had a _big_ crush on Jared and Kim's twelve year old daughter, Lola. Lola was wild and carefree and had just found out about werewolves last year. I knew her pretty well.

From his thoughts, Lola never really paid him much attention. Today, he had called her asked her if she wanted to go to see a movie, saying that he really liked her. She had laughed. "You're so funny, Jamie! I actually believed you for a second, so point for you . . . You got me. Like we would ever think of each other as more than friends," by the end of the conversation, Lola was cracking up at Jamie's so-called joke. After hanging up, Jamie was so mad that he ran out the back door and phased. Thank god he had been home alone.

_I feel you, bro. _Brady said sympathetically.

_Yeah, but he's only a few _months_ older than Lola, you're fourteen years older than Eliza, _Embry added.

_Yeah, but I'm still fourteen, so is Eliza. So is Lilly. You're sixteen, so what's your excuse? _

_One: I imprinted, you didn't. Two: I don't even think of her that way yet. _Embry growled.

That was only partially true. Lilly was very mature for fourteen, and although he was still more of the best friend, there were still times when Embry would look at Lilly and want to kiss her. If any guy got within a hundred feet of her he would get tense and walk closer to her. And if any guy tried to approach her, he would glare at them so ferociously that they would practically run away.

_Mind your own business Quil . . . _Embry glared at me. Yup, he was definitely starting to fall for Lilly. Embry growled.

_Quil doesn't want to mind his own business because if he does than his walls will break and Claire will come out to play, _Mason remarked. _I bet she looked really hot when she was in her underwear. It's a shame that a girl like that has to be stuck with someone like you. _

I _really_ hated this guy. _Fuck you._

_I'd rather fuck her. And you better watch out or I just might. _I snarled. Oh god how I wanted to just rip his throat out! Claire was mine. I would die before I let him have her.

_I can arrange that, Princess._

_**Both of you be quiet! **_Jacob unleashed his Alpha voice on us. I wanted to protest that he started it, and that he was just being a fucking ass hole, but I wasn't able to.

_Whoa, man! That's some voice you got there! Can I control people just by talking, too? _Jamie asked enthusiastically.

_No. It's an alpha thing. _Jake responded.

_Alpha, alpha, alpha. I keep hearing that word. _

_ Basically, Jake's in charge. When he's um . . . otherwise engaged the beta is in charge. That's Leah. _Austin explained tiredly. The poor guy hadn't slept or taken a break since his patrol last night.

Jamie scoffed at the fact that a _girl _was second in command. Leah growled at him.

_Well come on, you're the second smallest, so you can't be the most handy in a fight, and you're a girl, so who would listen to you? And mostly everyone here is thinking negatively about you . . . _Jamie explained.

_But I think you would find that I am also the fastest, the fiercest, and I could take your head off before you could even flinch. People don't need to like me to respect me. _Leah replied fiercely. And it was true, none of us really liked Leah, but that bitch could be scary. And when it came down to it . . . She was kind of good at being in charge.

_Wait Quil, did you just say something half-way nice about Leah? _Collin asked in surprise. _What's wrong with you man! _

_ I guess being in love can do that to a person, _Grayson thought quietly, not meaning to respond.

_No, but being insane certainly can! _Embry hooted.

_Forty year old MILFs at the beach, Embry. That's all I'm gonna say . . . _I commented.

_That was one time! _Embry grumbled.

_Okay, so here's how it's going to work. Brady, Austin, you're free. Go home and get some sleep. Grayson, you're great at controlling your feelings, so try to work with Mason and Jamie to get them back to people again. Collin and Mia, you're on patrol today, so get to it. Seth, go inform the Cullens about the new wolves, and if they have a reply come back, if not, you can go. Nolan, go home and have an excuse ready for Jamie in case we can't get him back to regular tonight. Leah, as a part of the council, your mom should know what's going on, go tell her and then report back to me. Embry, can you go to explain to my Dad what's going on? And then go see if Sam is home and tell him. If you see Claire while you're there, tell him Quil isn't going to be back for quite a while still. Danny and Quil stay with me. _

Embry's thoughts were sad. He pleaded to Jake for a minute with his eyes.

_Fine, you can go tell Lilly too, but then you better come right back, _Jacob allowed. Embry smiled gratefully and bolted off.

Leah sped off too, towards Forks, where Sue and Charlie lived. Seth in the same direction, towards Leech Land. Nolan left as well, followed by Brady and Austin on their way to La Push. Mia and Collin headed in opposite directions to start patrols, which were mostly a joke, since we barely ever saw any action nowadays. But I didn't go anywhere. Grayson, Danny, Jacob, Jamie, and worst of all Mason all stayed put too. Our assignments didn't require us to go anywhere. Of course. What I wouldn't give to be with Claire right now . . . But that was selfish. Considering Jacob was going crazy with missing Renesmee. I had seen my Claire only an hour ago.

Within minutes, half of the pack was gone. Nolan made it to La Push the fastest, Embry faded away a second later. Brady and Austin were exhausted, and ran slower, but a few seconds later the followed. Leah didn't push her hardest, but still made it to Forks in great time. Seth kept pressing on to the Cullens.

_Oh, and Seth,_ Jacob added as the thought came to him, _Can you check on her? _

_ Of course, Jake. I probably would've anyway. _Seth replied honestly.

Jacob relaxed a little and started slowly over towards Grayson, Jamie, and Mason, who had moved away from the group a bit to start "zenning out" as Grayson referred to it.

As far as hiding our thoughts went, Grayson was definitely the best at it. His thoughts would often go quiet and unnoticed, and if you did try to listen, it was rare you heard anything _really_ personal. If Grayson didn't want you to know something, you would have almost no chance of trying to weasel it out of him. He always kept his mind and emotions in check.

_Speaking of thought blocking, _Danny smirked.

_No one was . . . _I groaned back.

_Well we are now, _Jacob said in a mischievous voice. I noticed that Mia and Collin were closely in tune with our conversation as they ran. Everyone wanted to know my secrets. But I didn't want _Mason_ to have the picture of a naked Claire in his head.

_WAIT! Claire was naked! _Seth shouted as he neared the Cullen House. Shit . . . picture the ocean, picture the ocean. The ocean. The ocean!

_You know you want to think about it, _Mason taunted.

_Mason, focus,_ Grayson ordered.

_The ocean . . . Just keep thinking about the ocean, _I ordered myself. Seth mentioned that he _was _getting details eventually, and then faded away in to oblivion.

I couldn't do this. I couldn't _not_ think of Claire. So I just settled for something safer, Claire saying that she loved me. Let Mason think about _that_!

And he was. He didn't like hearing that. So naturally, I thought about it some more. Kissing Claire, her kissing me, her saying how much she loved me, and how happy she was that I loved her. Mason was fuming.

_Quil, he's never going to phase back when he's pissed off, _Jacob commented.

_On the contrary . . ._ Mason gave a wolfy smile. And then his body trembled and bam! He was human. He still looked more or less the same. Still slimy and cruel and dick-tastic. He still had the same mischievous glint in his eyes, and a cocky grin on his face. He was shorter than I was, six foot two at the tallest. And his hair was already short, which was unusual for new wolves. I didn't like him any more in human form, but it was a relief to have him out of my head.

"If you phase when you're mad, I didn't see a reason why I couldn't phase _back_ the same way."

_You've got to admit, dude is good at channeling his anger . . . _Danny nodded in what may have actually been approval.

_Traitor, _I thought at him.

Jacob quickly phased back to talk to him, putting on the sweats he had around his ankle. "Brady brought some clothes here earlier," He announced, nodding his head at two pairs of dark shorts lying on the ground.

"Sweet," Mason nodded, grabbing a pair of shorts and slipping them on. "Can I go now?"

"Couple more things first. One is the clothing thing. Since you're body is so hot, you aren't going to be wearing much clothing, but in the winter it would be best for you to wear a shirt, you don't want to raise more suspicion than necessary."

"Got it," Mason nodded, sounding like he was only half paying attention.

"Two, you're going to probably need some way to bring some shorts with you when you're in wolf form. Most of us tie them to our ankles, but you can also carry them in your mouth." Mason nodded.

"And I'm guessing that there is a three?"

"Training starts tomorrow, listen for the howl."

"Yeah, yeah. Now I can go?"

"Yeah, whatever. Go, and don't tell your Mom where you were."

"Don't worry, she won't ask, she'll probably just assume it was something illegal," Mason shrugged.

_I'm sure that's not an unusual thing for him . . . _I thought bitterly. If I could help it, I would never let him near my Claire.

But before Mason ran off, I saw something in his eyes. It was a message. And I understood the meaning loud and clear.

It's on.

_Claire_

Despite the interruption, I was on top of the world. After Quil left I sat there in shock for a few minutes. I had almost had sex with Quil Ateara, the absolute love of my life. He was so perfect . . . Sexy . . . Romantic . . . Considerate . . . Sweet . . . And he was a fucking awesome werewolf!

Of course, right now the werewolf thing wasn't too awesome. I wanted Quil to be with me, not off in the forest. Not with a bunch of guys who could read his mind! My face flushed as I thought of that. I hoped dearly that Quil could keep his thoughts in check.

As I left, I wondered how long he would be. Quil had barely left and I missed him. I missed him like crazy.

Since I didn't have Emily's car, or magical wolf speed, I had to walk home. It wasn't that far, of course. I could walk across town if I wanted. But it was drizzling and the water felt even colder compared to Quil's hot skin, which I had been in almost constant contact with over the past few hours.

Right as I was reaching home, Sam's truck pulled up. They had taken Amelia to Port Angeles for the day and apparently were just now getting back. Amelia hopped out of the truck first, noticing me instantly.

"Isn't it a little rainy to be taking a walk, Claire?" She asked.

"This coming from the girl who was dancing in the rain yesterday," Emily giggled, stepping out of the car, toting some of Amelia's bags.

"But Mom, Claire hates the rain," Amelia reminded, skipping off towards the house.

"Hey Sweetie," Sam smiled, cutting off the engine and stepping out of the truck. He took some of the load out of his wife's arms. He looked at me closely for a moment, "You look freezing."

"I kind of am," I smiled sheepishly, walking quickly towards the house. I still sensed my uncle watching me.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"No, not at all," I answered honestly. Okay, well, _almost_ honestly. I did really miss Quil. "Why would you ask?"

"You were just pretty upset about something last night, and I wasn't sure if you were okay."

"Uncle Sam, trust me, I'm great," I smirked, slipping quickly through the door and escaping in to my room, shutting the door behind me.

When I turned around, Eliza was there, standing in the middle of my room. "Oh my god!" I jumped.

"Clairdy Cat," She teased.

"What– What are you doing in my room?"

"Shh, the house isn't _that _big, they'll hear you," She hissed quietly.

I sighed and sat down on my bed, she turned to face me once I sat down. "Okay, so spill. You and Quil totally had sex, right?" My mouth popped open in surprise. Did my little sister really just ask me that? Of course she did . . . She's Eliza.

I took me a few seconds to recover, "What? No, of course we didn't!"

"_Of course._" Eliza scoffed. "So that wasn't even a possibility. Quil already swear to abstinence? He's such a girl."

"No . . . He's a man, trust me," I breathed, blushing slightly. Eliza raised an eyebrow.

"Did he _prove it_?"

"I'm pretty sure we are both straight on what sex the other is," I blushed more. "But um, there was a distraction. Quil had to leave."

"Yeah, the others left too. What happened?" Eliza whisper shouted in excitement.

"There's _another _new wolf," I told her quietly.

"Wow. And I'm assuming you met this one at the cemetery too?"

My eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

"What part of 'I know everything' is so hard for you people to grasp?" She shook her head. "Jake and them were here for like fifteen minutes before you two got here."

"Oh," I replied blankly.

"Apparently, Quil hates his guts."

"So it seems," I agreed sadly. I didn't like this. Mason looked like a jerk when I first met him, but talking to him . . . He was really sweet. Strange, but sweet. Most people would look at a crying girl in the graveyard and run. But he came to check on me, and I could tell he wasn't just being nosy. Quil said that he kept thinking about me. But even if for some reason he did like me at all, he couldn't anymore, right? There was like, an imprint dibs. So I don't know why Quil was freaking out, couldn't he just see that Mason was a nice, genuine guy?

"I can't wait to meet him. He hot?" She smiled mischievously.

"Aren't they all?" I admitted shyly. "But not my type at all. He kind of comes off as a bad boy."

Eliza smiled wider. "Not your type, huh? Well he's in luck, because Eliza is _all_ about the bad boys."

_God help poor Brady now . . . _

"Of course you do," I sighed. "He's sixteen you know."

"Oh trust me, I know."

"Ew, find someone your own age," I told her.

She laughed. "Like who? Brady?"

_Well . . . _

"That was fake, remember? I don't actually have a secret thing with him."

"I know," I replied. The room was silent for a moment.

"Ya know," I started, "Next time you want to talk to me, a simple knock on the door would suffice. You don't need to scare the hell out of me."

"I know, but then it wouldn't be as fun," She smirked. I was about to respond when she covered my mouth and shushed me. There were voices coming from Sam and Emily's room. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but did manage to hear one word, my own name.

Eliza moved her hand from my mouth and slithered out my bedroom door. Creeping down the hall as silent as a vampire. I stood in the doorway and watched her as she oh so gently put her ear to their bedroom door. The she motioned quickly for me to follow her.

_Quietly,_ she mouthed.

I tried to slip down the hall as silently as she had, but something tells me that I failed miserably. Either way, I made it to her side without Sam or Emily hearing. They were speaking quietly, but with my ear against the door I was able to clearly hear what they were saying.

"This obviously has something to do with Quil," Emily said.

"So you think Quil made her cry buckets last night, because I really don't want to go kick his ass."

"I'm sure it's fine. I think Claire is just very confused. She is obviously developing feelings for him, and that's hard for her. She's known him for as long as she can remember.

"You did tell Quil that he could tell her about imprinting too, right?" Emily didn't answer, so I assumed that she nodded. "But what? He isn't ready? He's so obviously in love with her . . ." My face was so red it was nearly purple. So not only had everyone but me known how Quil felt about me, but it was "so obvious" too. Of course. Eliza looked at me and smiled her patent Eliza smile. The "I know everything, even the stuff you don't want me to know, and you better watch out, because I am perfectly willing to use it against you" smile. She flashed that smile so much that one day her face was seriously going to freeze that way.

"I know, but give him time, it's up to him when he tells her."

"Do you think . . . that he already could have? Claire seemed pretty strange out there."

"No, he certainly hasn't told her yet," Emily said without doubt.

_How wrong you are, Auntie Em . . . _

It was then that it occurred to me. Here I was, listening to my Aunt and Uncle talk about me, with my ear pressed to their damn door! I was turning in to my little sister. And I had never seen Eliza look so proud of me.

I cleared out after that, leaving Liza to her snooping. I needed some alone time. I hung out in to my room for quite a while. It wasn't till Emily called "Dinner!" that I got up off of my bed. I had to act completely normal at dinner. I didn't want them to be suspicious, I knew I should just tell them, but that conversation would be horrifying. And how would it even start?

_So, Quil slammed me in to a wall and kissed me senseless today . . . _

_ Guess what? I'm in love! _

_ I almost lost my virginity today when I was naked in Quil's bedroom. _

_ Were you serious about the whole sex-before-marriage thing? _

None of those would work very well. It occurred to me that I could simply tell that Quil told me he imprinted on me, but as far as they knew, Eliza didn't know about werewolves. So I couldn't just bring that up during dinner. I decided that I would just postpone the conversation until tomorrow, when Quil would hopefully be by my side to help me tell them.

I looked out my bedroom window, it was getting dark outside. When would Quil be back? Was he okay? How could I miss him this much? It was ridiculous. I had seen him just a few hours ago! But I missed him so hard that I felt sick. My heart was empty and my stomach twisted. And I was cold. It didn't matter if I was under the blankets, the only thing that could warm me up now was Quil's touch.

I sighed and tried to erase all of the pain and loneliness off of my face before I reached the kitchen.

Dinner smelled great, but I didn't have much of an appetite. I sat down at the table quietly. Was Quil hungry? When was the last time he ate anything? Did they have any food wherever they were? Ugh, I had to stop thinking about Quil.

"So Melia, what'd you get at the mall today?" I asked, needing a distraction.

Amelia launched in to a full description of every single thing she bought, down to the material it was made out of and how much it cost. I nodded and pretended to be interested.

"So what did you do today?" She asked after finishing her spiel about the new clothing.

Before I could answer, there was a knock at the back door. "I'll get it," Amelia offered, jumping up and running to open the back door. (Which was also in the kitchen.)

Embry walked in, his hair dripping from the light drizzle outside. Eliza, who was sitting next to me breathed the word, _whipped_ so quietly that I could barely hear it. But of course, Embry could probably hear her perfectly, which is obviously what she wanted.

"I'm the messenger boy," Embry announced, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"One of the perks of being Third?" I joked, pushing a meatball around on my plate with my fork.

Sam shot me a look, then his eyes flew to Eliza. Oh yeah . . . I forgot that she technically didn't know about werewolves.

"No," He frowned, "But it's better than being stuck over in drama town," Embry shrugged. "Oh, and by the way! I almost forgot I have another message, too. Claire, I'm supposed to tell you that Quil will still be busy for quite some time. He already _had_ a break today," He winked at me. "And then Sam," he turned to Sam, "We have _two _newbies. Nolan's brother Jamie just phased this afternoon, and then this morning we got this guy named Mason. He just moved here, but we figured out where he got his gene, so I guess I'm still the only mystery wolf. Funny story, Claire actually met Mason last night at the cemetery and –"

"Embry!" Eliza, Sam and me all interrupted at the same time. Embry looked around the room, puzzled.

"What, it's not like everyone in the room doesn't already know. And I'm surprised Claire didn't tell you about the new wolves already. I guess she was too busy daydreaming, hmm Claire? Actually, Eliza, didn't you already know about Mason too?"

"Shut up Embry!" Eliza said through her teeth.

"Is there something that I'm missing?" Emily asked.

"Apparently, there's a few," Sam said, his eyes shifting between Eliza and me.

Embry's eyes widened. "Oh. Apparently this is a family full of secrets . . . This is awkward. I'm just gonna go . . ." Embry said backing up out of the kitchen.

"Yeah Embry, go lust over your little fourteen year old girlfriend!" Eliza hissed as he disappeared in to the night.

"What is going on?" Amelia asked, her face twisted in confusion.

"I was about to ask the exact same question," Emily said.

**Author's Note: Hehe, my note is at the end this time. My next chapter should be up before Friday, but I make no promises. Get pumped for another super awkward and totally hilarious conversation! More drama to come! Oh, and P.S. if you recall, at the beginning of the last chapter, Claire made a reference to her favorite book. If you know which book it's from I'll love you forever. **


	11. The Games Begin

**Author's Note: Not much to say today. Just please review and tell me what you think. And be ready, cause this story is about to get even better . . . **

_Claire_

_Damn Embry to the deepest pits of hell . . . _

"Both of you," Sam said, his eyes narrowing in to slits as he looked between Eliza and me, "Better start explaining."

"I think we should start with how Quil told Claire about imprinting today," Eliza smirked. _Sell out! Way to throw _me _under the bus! _

"I think we should start with Eliza knowing about werewolves," I snapped back. She glared at me.

"When I got home from Lisa's, Quil had Claire up against the house and they were kissing _very_ intensely."

"Eliza has known about werewolves longer than I have!" I announced in retaliation.

"Both of you!" Emily stopped us. We fell silent. I peeked at Sam and Emily, both of their faces showed genuine surprise.

"Amelia, why don't you go to your room," Emily said. Amelia frowned, but then stood up and walked down the hall.

"It's not gonna be my room much longer," She sang as she closed the door to her room.

The house was in silence. Me and Eliza were shooting each other murderous glares. How dare her sell me out like that! I only did it because she did.

"Well _I _think that we should start from the beginning," Emily said.

"Well you see, one day when Claire was two years old–" Eliza began.

"Not from the _very beginning _stupid," I snapped.

"Well isn't someone bitter when she has to go a few hours without seeing her boyfriend . . ." Eliza muttered. My face flushed red. Eliza continued.

"Okay fine, so shorter version. Claire was so upset and confused last night because Quil almost–"

"Shut. Up." I hissed. Eliza ignored me.

"Because Quil almost kissed Claire but then he stopped himself and like, ran out and stuff. And then there was something about him speeding off to talk to Renesmee I think. And then Mason phased. Mason met Claire last night when Claire went to the cemetery after being all sad and confused. And Quil hates Mason because he supposedly has the hots for Claire. But anyway, this morning Quil apparently told Claire since they were _all _over each other when I got home," Eliza explained quickly.

"Eliza forgot to mention the part where she snuck out of the house last night to go taunt Quil and let him know that she knew about werewolves. And I'm pretty sure there were some threats in there somewhere, because come on, it's Eliza . . ." I added.

"Interesting story," Sam said quietly.

"I'm going to my room," I was furious and embarrassed at the same time. I stood up from the table and walked away without another word.

"Eliza, you can go to your room, too. We'll talk tomorrow," Emily said firmly.

I sat down hard on my bed. I felt like the angry cartoon character with the super red face and steam coming out of their ears. I couldn't believe that Eliza and I had turned on each other so quickly! I heard Eliza's footsteps coming down the hall. But they stopped short in front of my door. She quietly slipped in.

"Hey," She said softly.

"Hey," I replied.

"Sorry for totally selling you out," Eliza said.

"Not totally, you at least didn't get to the part where Quil and I almost had sex."

"I would have if I hadn't been interrupted. And um, thanks for not mentioning that I eavesdrop on everyone."

"I couldn't turn you in, I may need information one day and you're going to give it to me. Because now you owe me," I informed her.

"We'll see," Eliza didn't sound convinced.

"Yes, we shall," I replied. Eliza turned and slid out of my room, taking the final steps in to her and Amelia's shared bedroom and closing the door behind her.

Of course, we both knew the conversation wasn't over. Sam and Emily were just too shocked to do anything at the moment. I didn't think I would get in trouble, except for maybe not telling Sam about the new wolves right away. It was Eliza who needed to worry. Eliza _was_ the one who knew a secret she shouldn't and kept it a secret for months. We should have gotten our story straight before she went to her room. I pulled out my phone and texted her.

_You found out because Lilly accidentally let it slip and then she had to explain everything to you. Got it? _

I pressed send. A few seconds later I heard the chime of her cell in the next room over. It took all of seven seconds for her to respond. She was a text-maniac!

_Got it. And thanks. _

At least she would be given some leniency now. If they knew that she listened in on everyone's conversations she would be in worlds of trouble. I decided to put on my pajamas, which tonight were a pair of blue plaid pants and a black camisole with lacy straps. It was full dark now, and the rain had stopped altogether. The outside world was quiet.

Silence was an interesting thing. Last night, when I was at Quil's house, I had found the silence maddening. But now, in my room, it felt peaceful.

I wasn't completely at peace though. For that, I would need Quil to be here with me. I thought back to the message Embry had given me. How long would Quil be? I needed to see him! I let myself mope for a little while, just thinking about Quil.

I was pulled out of my moping by a light tap on my window. I jumped and ran to it. On the other side was a familiar face. One that I wasn't expecting to see. I slid open my window.

"Mason?" I asked quietly, not wanting to be overheard by nosy Eliza.

"Hey Claire, you doing anything important right now?" Mason smiled. He was already in the pack uniform of just a pair of shorts. No shirt, no shoes. Body temperature or not, I found this ridiculous. It was so cold outside!

"Not really," I sighed.

"Can you talk?"

Quil would be furious with me. If he really didn't think Mason was any good, should I trust him? "I don't know if that's a good idea . . ." I answered unsurely.

"Come on, don't tell me Quil is already trying to brainwash you. You're the only person in this place that I like to talk to."

I pursed my lips. "I have no idea why, all I did was cry and whine when you met me."

"Nah, you were interesting. I'd like someone to call a friend, pleeease?"

"Didn't you make any friends today?" I asked curiously.

"Not really, some of the guys were cool I guess. But I didn't get along exceptionally well with anyone," Mason admitted.

"How did you even find me?"

"I just followed your scent. In case you didn't hear, I'm kind of a werewolf," he said sarcastically. I tried to extinguish the smile that crossed my face at his words.

I hesitated. Then decided to trust myself. "Okay fine. But outside. There's too many snoops in my house," I said in a whisper, grabbing a gray hoodie and climbing out of my bedroom window.

My feet landed softly on the cool wet grass and Mason smiled. "Jammies?" He asked as I slid on my hoodie.

"Shut up," I smiled. Quietly, the two of us started to walk parallel to the backs of the La Push homes.

"So you've been having a pretty crazy day," I commented.

"I guess you could say that. But it sounds like you did too," He said the last part with a slight bitter edge.

"True, but I'm pretty sure turning in to a werewolf is a _little_ more exciting."

"Having thirteen other guys in my head? Exploding out of my skin? Growing fur all over my body? Nah. But I got to meet all of your . . . friends."

I checked his face. He had a strange look on his face. His eyes were mad, but he wore a suspicious smile. "Brady is obsessed with your sister," He said.

"I know," I giggled.

"And all Jacob does is think about his wife. What's her name again? Renelsie?"

"Renesmee," I corrected. "She's one of my best friends." He nodded, not commenting.

"Seth's kind of an interesting guy . . ."

"He's cool. But the boy can't keep a secret to save his life," I told him. Thinking back to even just yesterday, when he felt the need to tell everyone that I knew about werewolves.

"Most of them were decent, well except for Quil. Guy's a cock-sucker." I frowned. I didn't like anyone talking bad about Quil.

"He is not," I corrected. "I've known Quil forever, he's the best guy in the world."

"That never occurred to me last night when you were crying buckets over him," Mason commented harshly.

"That was a misunderstanding," I said quietly.

"No, that was Quil being a pussy. And you should have seen how mad he got when I simply made the connection that 'His Claire' was the same Claire that I met at the graveyard. Like, he was mad that I even _knew_ you. You mentioned that your best friend was named Quil, I made that connection too. All I said was that some best friend he was making you cry."

"Yeah, he mentioned some of that today. Something about how you kept thinking about me to piss him off," I said, maybe some slight accusation in my voice.

"Wow, he's conceited too. I was thinking of you because you were nice, pretty, and you were the last person I talked to before I phased. But you know, whatever. He just doesn't like me, so I guess that means you shouldn't like me either, since you belong to him and stuff . . ." I frowned more. My relationship with Quil was none of his business.

"I actually do happen to like you or I wouldn't be out here. It's freezing cold, I snuck out of the house, and yes, Quil doesn't want me around you. I think I'm starting to see why."

"Aww, come on Claire. Don't be like that."

"Don't be like what?" I snapped.

"Don't be like him."

"News flash! I am like him! I've known Quil since I was a baby, and have seen him almost every day since. If you can't accept that, we can't be friends," I told him honestly. I turned around and started to walk away. He sped to me and gently grabbed my wrist.

"No Claire, wait! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I really do want to be your friend. Can we just talk about something else? Please?"

"But it's cold out," I sighed, turning around to face him.

"I'm insulted that you say you're cold! Come over here woman, I'm like one hundred and ten degrees!"

I laughed and moved closer to him. He released my wrist and then wrapped his arms around me.

"Just so it's clear, this is for warmth only, I have a boyfriend."

"I know, and he would kill me if you caught a cold because you were out here talking to me," Mason said. _He's probably going to kill you anyway . . ._

I dropped down on the cool grass, taking Mason down with me. I laid down and he did too, his warm body pressed against my side.

"So tell me, what made you and your mom come back to La Push?" I asked.

He was quiet for a moment, and I wondered if maybe that question was a little too personal. "My mom was from here. Her mom got knocked up in high school and then her dad, my grandpa, fell in love with someone else and left her. My grandma moved away after she had my mom, to northern California, where she was raised. When my mom grew up she married my dad. They had me. They moved to La Push a couple months after I was born. You know what happened to my dad . . . We moved back to California after that." He spoke of his father in a bitter voice. " Anyways, about a month ago, I started getting taller. Way taller. And I was changing, getting bigger. I didn't think much of it, and my mom didn't either. But my Grandma did. She insisted that we move here. She said it was important that my mom lived where she should have grown up, and she said this would help her get closure about my dad. But now I'm betting that my grandma really just knew the signs, and she knew I was going to be a werewolf, like my grandpa was. I've never met him, but he still lives here," He shared.

It took a minute for the story to click before it hit me. "Quil said that the only living member of the old pack was _his_ grandfather . . ."

"Well he's right. My mom's maiden name is Ateara."

I sat up in surprise. "So Quil is your _cousin_?"

"Unfortunately. But he's only my half cousin, or something like that. We have different grandmothers."

"Wow . . . When did you learn this?"

"This afternoon. Are you gonna lie back down?"

I put my back to the moist grass and he spoke again. "But enough about me, what's your story?"

I told him a bit about my childhood, trying not to mention Quil_ too_ much, unless I thought it was something that would maybe make Mason like him more. I focused more on telling him about Eliza, and my dad walking out on our family years ago, when I was just a five year old girl.

"I haven't seen him since," I admitted.

"That sucks," Mason said sympathetically.

"It sucked more after my mom died. After that Eliza and I moved in with my Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily. Eliza is fourteen, and I have a little cousin Amelia who is ten. They're all I really have, besides Quil of course. He was really there for me after my mom died."

"But you were like, nine. That's gross . . ."

"It wasn't like that back then. That's not how it works. We just thought of each other as friends. He was like my big brother," I answered. Not that I really cared what he thought of it.

"It still kind of creeps me out." I ignored him. I wasn't about to waste my breath.

"You must miss her," Mason said.

"Yeah, I go and talk to her, like I did last night . . . But I just wish she could respond. Ya know?" I sighed.

"Not really. When I lost my dad, I wasn't really sad. I was mad at him for being stupid. And dead or alive I'm never going to forgive him."

"Holding grudges isn't healthy . . ." I said.

"Either is doing drugs," He replied sharply. I wanted to comment that Quil's dad was dead, too. He had died in a boating accident when he was really young. But I thought better of it, bringing up Quil led to arguing.

I let out a huge yawn. Mason laughed. "You're tired? It's like, nine o'clock."

"I didn't really sleep much last night . . ." I admitted, yawning again.

"Well don't fall asleep on the grass," Mason laughed again.

"I don't want to get up, I'm too tired." This was true, lying on the ground had really allowed me to realize how drained I was.

Two seconds later I was wrapped up in Mason's arms and he was walking us back towards my house. Quil would _really _not like this. "I'm capable of walking, you can put me down."

"Not in your condition. What if you were to collapse from exhaustion?" He joked.

"Your funeral . . ." I sighed.

I had left my window open, so Mason climbed right in, pulling the sheets back and tucking me in to bed.

"Are you satisfied now? No collapsing, and you managed to make me feel like I'm five," I complained.

"No, I still have to turn off your light," He replied, flying across my room at an almost blurring speed and turning off my light.

"If you try to give me a good night kiss I'm going to kick your ass," I warned, tugging off the wet gray hoodie and curling deep in to the blankets.

"I highly doubt you are capable," Mason teased. He was half out the window now. "Goodnight Claire."

I fell asleep before he even finished closing the window behind him.

It must have been a few hours later when I woke to the sound of my bedroom window to the right of my bed sliding open. I shot up and turned to see who my visitor was.

"Quil!" I squealed as quietly as I could, launching my body at him. Quil smiled widely and welcomed me instantly in to his arms, squeezing me tightly. I pulled his head to mine and our lips reunited. The kiss was soft at first, but grew more and more intimate as time progressed.

"I missed you so much, Claire," he admitted when I finally had to pull away to breathe.

"Save the talking for later," I purred, pulling us down to my bed. I was surrounded by his heat, the heat that I had missed so much. Our mouths met again in a passionate frenzy.

"Mmm," He moaned in to my mouth. Quil tugged on my bottom lip with his teeth while his hands found their way under my shirt. Then his entire body went rigid. He let go of me and sat up straight, his expression was livid.

"Quil?" I asked nervously.

_Quil _

"Save the talking for later," She purred, pulling us down on to the bed. I was so happy to be with her. I pulled her mouth to mine and the passionate kissing started up again.

"Mmm," I moaned in to her beautiful mouth. Then I took her bottom lip between my teeth and tugged on it gently. My hands went under her camisole to her flat warm stomach. But then I inhaled deeply through my nose and smelled it. I smelled _him_. My entire body went rigid. _No. _

"Quil?" She asked in a soft, nervous voice. My body started to quiver in anger.

"He was _here_?" I practically spat.

"Yes," She admitted quietly. "But don't worry Quil. We went for a walk and talked, that was it." _That was it? _He wasn't even aloud _near_ my Claire, and he certainly wasn't able to talk to her. That fucker.

I flashed back to earlier that night, that mischievous smile he wore before he left. I wondered if that had been his plan all along and he was just concealing it, or if it had just occurred to him when he phased back. Either way, I was burning mad. His smell was all over my beautiful Claire, and it made my nose burn as if it were vampire stench. Then a horrible realization hit me, the smell clung to her clothing and skin. There was only one way that that could have happened.

"And how did his smell get _all over you_?" I interrogated, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Well, I was really tired, so he carried me home, but it was nothing! I swear! He's not a bad guy. At least, not really. He was saying some bad things about you, though." My eyes narrowed. He had _carried _her? The thought of him touching her that way made me cringe. She was exhausted, and he had taken advantage of it. I felt sick at the possibilities of other things that he could have done to her. If he tried to do anything o her, Claire simply wouldn't be strong enough to resist, no matter how hard she tried. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Please don't talk to him anymore. _Please. _He's bad, and dangerous, and God forbid he ever tried to . . ." I choked on my words. I couldn't voice the possibility of that happening. I wouldn't.

"Quil, look at me. I'm fine, see? He's not trying to hurt me, or steal me, or whatever you seem to think. I made sure he knew that I loved you. Quil you know I love only you. I'm never going to love anyone but you."

I pulled her in to me and pressed my lips to hers desperately. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tightly to my body. The only place Claire was safe was in my arms, I was sure of that now. I was unwilling to let her go. She put her arms around my neck and wrapped her legs around my torso, clinging to me with all of her strength.

"I'm right here, I'm okay," She mumbled in to my mouth as I continued to kiss her with a desperation that had been building for hours.

"Just please, don't hang out with him. At least not alone. If you really love me I need you to trust me on this one," I begged a few minutes later when I had finally removed my lips from hers.

"Well that isn't a fair thing to say, of course I love you, Quil. I really love you."

"So does that mean you will at least_ try _to do what I ask you?" I asked hopefully.

"Fine, until I can prove to you that he isn't a bad guy, I won't hang out with him alone," She grudgingly agreed.

"Thank you," I kissed her softly on the lips, "Remember that I'm doing what I do because I love you."

"I know. Now forget about him, I want some Quil time," she said, laying back down and dragging me with her.

I kissed her feverishly as she pulled me closer to her. I was careful not to put any weight on her as we kissed. I let my body relax and just focused on the fact that I was actually kissing Claire Young, the love of my life. At this time yesterday, the possibility of _ever_ kissing her seemed tiny. But now it was really happening.

I let my mouth drop down to her neck and then I slid my open mouth across her neck, letting my tongue dance across the tender skin there.

Claire let out a soft moan. I smiled and kept going.

"More," She moaned. I smirked and stopped.

"Hey," Claire pouted.

"Who do you love?" I asked her.

"You. I love you," Claire said softly.

"Never forget it," I smiled widely, bringing my lips back to her soft skin. I pulled her tighter to my body and she wrapped herself around me.

"I love you so much, you're mine forever," I told her.

"Oh Quil!" She sighed, bringing her lips to mine with a new intensity.

"Thin walls," I heard a soft breath coming from the room to the right of Claire's. Eliza. It was barely a whisper, but I heard her perfectly, and she knew I could, too. Even in the softest of breaths her voice sounded smug and superior and just . . . Eliza. She was crazy, but I looked forward to having her as a sister one day.

"Noise patrol just called to voice a complaint," I chuckled.

"What?" Claire giggled softly.

"Yeah, apparently a crazy blonde chick in the next room over. She never left a name," I informed her.

"Well _she_ doesn't matter," Claire smiled, speaking a little louder to make sure Eliza would hear.

"I should be leaving soon," I sighed. "You need your sleep."

"I don't want you to leave," Claire frowned in to the darkness. "Please don't," She begged.

"What do you want me to do Claire?"

"Stay with me?" She asked desperately.

I knew that it wasn't the smartest or most responsible thing to do, but I was selfish. "Okay," I agreed without a fight.

"Really?"

"I'm not going to argue for a side that I'm not even on. You want me here, and I want me here, too. But you better go to _sleep_."

"As much as I'd like to argue that point, I'm too tired to put up much of a fight," Claire admitted. She pulled the blankets up and slid underneath them, keeping them up until I was under, too. I laid on my side and pulled her to me. Claire cuddled up against me, her back to my stomach, and I wrapped my arms around her.

_Spooning while wearing clothing . . . The guys aren't gonna let me forget this._

"Ugh," Claire groaned, "I forgot how hot your body is," Claire said. Then she shimmied out of her pajama pants. Once they were off, she sighed. "That's better."

_Thank God she is wearing underwear . . . _

"Goodnight Claire," I said.

"Goodnight Quil," She yawned.

"Goodnight Eliza," I smirked.

"Goodnight Quil," She replied softly and sarcastically from the other side of the wall.

"I love you Quil," Claire breathed.

"Go to sleep, Angel." She snuggled closer to me and quickly fell asleep in my arms. I smiled.

I had my Claire, and I wasn't going to give her up. I would fight for Claire until my last breath. And if Mason wanted to play, then let the games begin.


	12. Dick and Princess

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! I was super busy and this is my longest chapter yet. I won't be able to post quite as much over the next few weeks cause I will be out of the country, but I promise to keep writing! I'm not so sure about this chapter, let me know what you guys think. **

_Claire_

I awoke the next morning wrapped up in Quil's arms. We must have repositioned ourselves at some point in the night, because my face was now buried in his chest, his warm strong arms locked tightly around my body. I had kicked off the blankets in the middle of the night because Quil had been plenty enough heat. Even without the blankets, I was hot. Over half of my body was touching Quil.

I lifted my face up to find him awake already, looking at me. "Good morning," He smiled.

"How long have you been up?" I asked.

"Not long, just a few minutes. I didn't want to wake you."

I smiled up at him. "You stayed."

"Of course I did Claire. You asked me to," Quil gently pulled me up his body to kiss me. I put my hand in front of his mouth to stop him.

"You can't kiss me before I brush my teeth!" I said in horror. My other hand flew up to my hair. "Ugh, and my hair is all messed up."

Quil gently brushed my hands away. "You're perfect, Claire. Trust me." Then he tried to kiss me again. This time I let him.

Waking up to Quil was _definitely _something I could get used to. I had been awake all of one minute, and already we were kissing.

I went from laying against him to being _on top_ of him. While Quil kissed me, he kept a hand securely on my ass, keeping me close to him. He apparently also enjoyed waking up to me. I felt it.

"So it's true what they say about men in the morning . . ." I mumbled in to his mouth, grinding against the bulge in his pants.

"Oh god, not here, Claire. This is _not_ the place you want me to lose control. Who knows how many of your family members are in the house right now." Quil gently pried me off of him, sending me back to my old spot beside him.

"So I get a little carried away sometimes, sue me," I teased.

"I could think of many other things I would rather do to you," He smiled mischievously.

"Now Quil, this is _not_ the place you want me to lose control. Who knows how many of my family members are in the house right now?" I smirked, quoting his words almost exactly.

Quil laughed. "Okay, you got me."

"I was under the impression that I already had you," I whispered, brushing my lips along his jaw bone. His breathing was shaky for a second.

"Okay, time to get up," I said, pulling away and hopping up out of the bed.

"You little tease," Quil shook his head. I smirked. He wanted me to tease him?

_I'll show you a tease. _

I went to my closet, looking through my different options for the day. After being against Quil all night, my room felt extra cold. It didn't help that all I was wearing was my underwear and the black camisole from last night. The cold made my nipples hard. As I sifted through my clothing racks, I pulled the camisole over my head and threw it behind me.

"What should I wear today?" I asked, turning to Quil wearing nothing but my panties. He was staring at me with wide eyes.

"You're evil," He muttered quietly, sitting up in bed. I walked over to him and sat on his lap, wrapping my legs around him and pressing my bare chest to his.

"I'm cold," I breathed.

"Why must you do this to me?" He asked.

"So you want me to get dressed then?" I asked.

"I don't know. There _are_ quite a few things I like about your current outfit," Quil admitted.

"I'm sure there are," I smiled, quickly kissing lips and then crossing the room back to my closet. I put on a pair of jeans that cut off a few inches above the knee and a red cotton sleeveless shirt. Red wasn't necessarily my favorite color, but I knew Quil would appreciate the gesture.

"How do I look?" I asked, running a brush through my inky black hair.

"Gorgeous," Quil smiled.

"You're my boyfriend, don't you have to say that?" I laughed.

"It's true. You are so gorgeous, Claire. I swear, you give Nessie a run for her money."

"Now you're just flat out lying." Renesmee was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I'm pretty sure she was the most beautiful girl on the continent, vampires included.

"Oh Claire, you'll never see how perfect you are. You silly, magnificent girl."

"Silly is a silly word," I smirked, reciting what had been one of our inside jokes from when I was younger.

"Come here silly," Quil chuckled, motioning me to come to him. When I reached him he kissed me again. The kiss wasn't violent, or desperate, or fiery. His lips were soft and warm and sweet, taking their time as they moved with mine. Quil kissed me like he had all the time in the world. And I certainly wasn't going to stop him.

But nothing kills a sweet moment like a rumbling tummy.

"Quil, when exactly was the last time you ate?" I asked him, my face still so close to his that our lips brushed when I spoke.

"It's been a while," he admitted shamefully.

"Well come on then, I'll make you breakfast!" I hopped up quickly, pulling him with me.

"Claire, your _family _is home," Quil reminded as I dragged him towards my bedroom door.

"Yeah, you can say hi to everyone after you eat," I giggled.

No one was in the kitchen when we arrived. "Sit down at the table," I ordered.

Quil chuckled and plopped down in the chair that I usually sat in for meals. "You're hot when you're bossy," He said quietly.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "I'm making scrambled eggs and bacon. No complaining, I know you love bacon."

"Bacon _is _tasty, but there are things I care about more . . ." Quil replied, smiling widely at me.

"I hope you are referring to your health."

"I am actually. When I'm not with you, I feel sick." My face flushed red.

_He is so sweet!_

"Well lucky for you I don't plan on going anywhere," I stated, grabbing the eggs from the refrigerator.

A few seconds later, Sam and Emily walked in to the kitchen. "Oh," Emily gasped when she noticed Quil.

"When did you get here, Quil?" She asked.

"This morning," I replied. "I'm making breakfast, you guys want some bacon and eggs?" I tried to sound casual.

"No, it's okay," Sam replied.

"I heard about the new wolves. Embry stopped over last night," Emily said. Quil nodded.

"That's not the _only _thing she heard about last night," Eliza sauntered in to the kitchen, her patent smug smile lighting up her face.

_Oh shit. I never told Quil about that. _

"Oh really?" Quil asked hesitantly.

"Claire, you didn't tell him?" Sam asked, maybe looking slightly amused himself. I didn't check.

"It slipped my mind," I said quietly, focusing on the eggs in the pan.

"What am I missing?" Quil sounded nervous.

"Embry spilled the beans about you and Claire, and then I went in and filled in the blanks where he left things out," Eliza giggled. I quickly turned to look at Quil. Surely enough, he looked horrified.

"You think that's bad, try actually _being_ there when it happened," I groaned.

"I don't know why you didn't just tell us," Sam said. "It's not like it was earth shattering news."

I thought back to my possible conversation starters . . . "I just didn't know how to bring up the topic," I admitted.

"But Embry apparently did . . ." Eliza giggled.

"Yeah Liza, Embry knew how to bring up _lots _of topics," I smirked.

"Shut up," Eliza growled.

Quil looked at me with confusion. _I'll tell ya later, _I mouthed.

"Quil, could we maybe talk for a minute?" Sam asked.

"Sure," Quil replied.

"Be right back," Sam said as he walked out of the back door, my Quil right behind him. The screen door fell shut behind them.

"So," Emily started, a small smile on his face, "Quil just arrived this morning?" I could tell by her voice that she wasn't buying it.

"Yes, this morning." It wasn't a lie. He _had _come after midnight.

"If you count 1:30 am as 'this morning'" Eliza giggled. I glared at her.

"That's what I thought," Emily nodded, bringing the mug in her hand up to a mouth and taking a sip.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized.

"You don't need to apologize. I know what it's like. But, um, he could have come in from the front door, he didn't need to sneak through the window."

"Okay, I'll let him know," I blushed, turning back to the pan and scrambling the eggs. The microwave beeped and I pulled out the tray of bacon that I had put in before my family showed up.

A minute later, Sam and Quil walked back in. I smiled at Quil and he smiled back. His smile made me week in the knees. Would it be bad manners for me to jump on him and attack him with kisses in front of my little sister and legal guardians?

"Food is ready," I announced.

"I'm going to sit outside on the deck and finish my coffee," Emily waved and retreated out the back door, Sam following right behind her. Eliza stayed right where she was.

"Um, feel free to leave," I said.

"You should really be nicer to me," Eliza warned before disappearing down the hallway. I rolled my eyes and put the food on two plates, bringing them to the table.

"So what did Uncle Sam say to you?" I asked Quil, sitting down next to him at the table.

Quil blushed. "Just some stuff about treating you right and that if I ever break your heart he will kick my ass."

"You don't sound too worried," I commented, putting a forkful of eggs in my mouth.

"I don't have to be. I may be a little slow, but I would never be stupid enough to give you up."

I smiled and he pulled me off of my chair and on to his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. "You're my prisoner now," I giggled.

"Oh really?" Quil raised an eyebrow, locking his arms tightly around me. "I would like to believe that you are _my _prisoner. If you don't believe me, you can try and break free."

"I don't want to break free," I admitted, bringing my lips to his.

"Good, because I never would have let you," He whispered in to my mouth. I pulled his face closer to mine, cutting off any conversation and kissing him enthusiastically.

"My eyes!" Amelia complained loudly. I jumped and turned to see her in the kitchen entrance, shielding her eyes.

_Crap! I forgot about a family member! _

I quickly removed myself from Quil's body, embarrassed.

"Gross, can't you guys _not _eat each other's faces! Cannibalism is frowned upon nowadays!" Amelia groaned, bringing her hand back down to her side.

"Sorry, Melia," Quil apologized, "She started it."

"Sell out!" I shrieked playfully, hitting his arm.

"You know you still love me," He chuckled.

"Eh, I'll think about it."

"So this means you guys are getting married, right?"

Quil looked horrified, his face cherry red.

"Melia!" I hissed. "You can't put people on the spot like that!"

"I just did," Amelia shrugged.

_My cousin . . . the ten year old smart ass. _

"I asked a question," Amelia tapped her foot impatiently. "And hurry up the answer, I want to take measurements of Claire's room."

"Bye Amelia," I said in the same sing-songy voice she often used as I pushed her small body out of the kitchen and down the hall a ways. She huffed and continued down the hall to her and Eliza's bedroom.

"Sorry about that," I apologized, returning to the kitchen. "Amelia takes after Liza in the nosiness department."

"She's going to be expecting an answer next time," Quil said.

"That's Amelia . . ." I agreed.

"And I'll giver her one. As soon as you give _me _one."

My breath caught. "What?"

"Can you see yourself marrying me one day?" Quil asked, a half smile on his face.

"Do you really need to ask?" I breathed, pulling him down to me and kissing him. He cupped my face and pulled it closer to his, pushing his tongue far into my mouth.

"Amelia will need a tape measurer."

_Quil_

We were just finishing breakfast when I heard the howl. I frowned.

_Time for work. _

I did _not_ want to go today. I really didn't want to leave my Claire, and I definitely couldn't deal with a full day of Mason. The only time I ever want to see his ass again is when I am ripping him to pieces.

But it was my duty to go. To protect the tribe. To protect _Claire_. Mason could go fuck himself, I really didn't care. He wasn't getting my Claire. She was mine. No matter how hard he tried he would never be able to have her.

I tried to keep that in mind as I kissed Claire goodbye and ran off towards the forest.

He wasn't there yet when I phased. The only ones already there were Mia, her twin brother Danny, Collin, Jake, Nolan, and the _new _newbie, Jamie.

Jake's mind was in Renesmee Land. As always. Nolan and Jamie were apparently speaking again, talking about what to do about their mom. Nolan was telling Jamie that he should ask to move in with him and Grayson. Collin's thoughts were calm. (The guy was half asleep.) Danny was thinking about a video game, typical. And Mia was thinking about _me_. Well, me and Mason.

_Can you _try _not to murder any Newbies today? _She asked me. I narrowed my eyes as the thought of Mason flooded my head. Dirty bastard. 

_ Honestly, Quil. You let him play you like a violin. _She was harsh, but I knew it was because she cared. Mia and I had always had a brother-sister relationship, even if it was a rocky one.

_Aw, you're so sweet._ Her voice was heavy in sarcasm.

Grayson phased next, followed by Brady. Leah. Austin. Seth.

_Where is Embry? _Leah growled. _So like him to try to be fashionably late. _

_Hey, hey. I'm here. Don't get your panties in a bunch. _Embry defended as he joined.

_Do you even think before you speak? _

_Do you even look in the mirror before going out? _Embry retorted.

_Lay off,_ Grayson thought quietly. Whoa, where did that come from? It seemed like I was the only one who had paid much attention to it.

_Ha-ha, _Leah replied sarcastically. _Girls _love _funny guys. That must be why Lilly spends so much time with you. _Leah's thoughts had a nasty edge to them. Embry almost flinched.

_Where the hell is the ass hole? _Nolan asked.

Me and Nolan were definitely on the road to becoming best friends . . .

_Just don't kiss me . . . Okay? _

_But you're _**so** _hot. _My thoughts were dripping with sarcasm.

_Well yeah, _Nolan agreed, _But save that for Claire. _

Maybe this friendship would be over before it started . . .

_Sorry I'm late, _Mason thought. He was heading towards the pack at a slow pace, taking his time. Knowing that we were all waiting for him.

_Where the hell were you? _Jacob demanded.

_Sleeping. I had trouble falling asleep last night. So much to think about . . . _His thoughts were so smug. The fucking douche.

He allowed his thoughts to wander to last night. Replaying his time with Claire. Everyone was paying attention, but his thoughts were directed at me. And we all knew it. Mason focused really hard on hugging Claire to "warm her up." I was shaking with fury. Then he moved on to carrying Claire, putting his hands on her.

_Leave her alone. _My voice shook. If I wasn't already a werewolf, I would have phased.

_No, _Mason laughed, meeting up with the group.

_Mason, please give it a rest. There is nothing you can do. She chose him, and she's not changing her mind. _Embry sighed.

_She doesn't have a choice! _Mason sounded angry in a different way. Like he was angry last night before he phased back. It wasn't superior, like he usually was. Just plain mad.

_And do you hear her complaining? _Embry asked. _You would know, since I'm sure you brought it up. _

_ You don't get it. You're too happy with your little under-aged girl to understand!_

_ Fuck off. _Embry snarled. Lilly was a touchy subject with him. Mason smirked. He had found another weak spot. He just brought it out in people . . .

_You _are_ going to lose. If you want to play this little game, set yourself up for disappointment. _My body was practically vibrating.

_Jesus! Everyone cool it. We have work to do. Quil, I don't want you to be anywhere near Mason during his training, got it? _Jake ordered.

_ No arguments here. _I replied.

Training was uneventful. I worked with only Jamie. Everyone else worked with both. Grayson helped them practice control. Leah showed them how to run using all of their speed. Embry helped with fighting. (He was always very aggressive). Mia was the best hunter, and showed them how to track down their targets and Nolan taught strategies to trick them. Whereas I focused on helping Jamie, Danny was gravitating more towards Mason. I wasn't sure why exactly. I was unfocused for most of the morning. It was like my brain was made up of thousands of tiny rooms, and I was locked inside the one labeled "Claire."

In between spending the night with her, talking to Sam, and having Claire basically say that she wanted to marry one day, it was hard to think of anything else.

The talk with Sam hadn't been too bad. I thought back to it . . .

"I guess I should start by saying congratulations," Sam said.

"Thank you," I smiled shyly.

"But as Claire's father-figure, there are some things I need to make sure we are clear on," Sam continued in a slightly stern voice.

"Yes sir," I nodded once.

"Make Claire as happy as you can, she is a very special girl."

"I know," I smiled.

"And you better not break her heart," Sam warned.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Good. Cause I don't want to have to kick your ass, you're a good kid. Or . . . man. Technically."

"I love her so much, Sam," I reassured him.

"I know." Now it was Sam's turn to smile. There had been a moment of silence after that. "The pack should come here for a lunch break. I would like to talk to the two new wolves," Sam said. The mention of Mason made me frown, but I nodded. At least I would get to see Claire . . .

"Okay, that's all, then." Sam said. We started to walk inside.

"Oh, one more thing." Sam said quickly.

"Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow.

"She loves you, too." I had grinned widely.

Now it was time for our lunch break, and the pack was racing through the forest towards the trees by the Uley's house. The entire run I was counting down the steps away I was from seeing Claire. This got a few snide remarks from some of the others. Specifically Mason. _Who else? _

By the time we all walked through the trees, (In human form) Sam was outside flipping burgers on the grill and Emily was setting the large picnic table. This made my stomach churn, because the scene reminded me a lot of Claire's birthday. Once Claire was brought back to the front of my mind, she wouldn't leave. My eyes scanned the yard for her. No Claire on the back deck. No Claire at the picnic table. No Claire laying in the grass and staring up at the sky like she used to as a little girl. My heart sank.

But as we got closer, the back door opened and Claire was in the doorway. I felt elated just seeing her. I dashed towards her and she ran too. Claire laughed as she reached me and jumped in to my arms. I pulled her lips up to mine and kissed her excitedly.

I knew we probably had about fifteen pairs of eyes on us, but at that point I really didn't care how big of a scene we were making.

"Hey Quil, I bet you could kiss her better if you, I dunno, shoved her up against the wall of the house," Collin cackled.

"Shut up," I mumbled, turning to glare at him playfully. But instead of glaring at Collin, I ended up sending the glare to Mason, who had a hateful glimmer in his dark eyes. I let a little smug smile dance across my face. I hoped that the image of me kissing Claire was forever branded in to his brain. He could never forget that Claire was mine, and I would fight for my true love forever.

I turned back to Claire, who I was still half holding in my arms. She was smiling, her and Emily having a silent conversation with their eyes.

The rest of the pack reached me and Claire and we walked with them, my arm securely around Claire.

"Hey Claire," Seth chuckled.

"How's life?" Austin asked in the same teasing giggly voice.

"Read any good books lately?" Collin had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Claire, will you marry me?" Grayson laughed.

"Forget about that! Claire, will you get Eliza to marry me?" Brady asked eagerly.

Claire was shaking her head and rolling her eyes, a light smile on her beautiful face.

"Hi Seth. I'm good Austin, thanks for asking. I _have_ actually, a zombie book. No, Grayson, I will not marry you. Brady, I'm not a miracle worker." Claire answered them one after another.

"Claire?" Embry asked.

"Yes Embry?" Claire sighed.

"What color underwear are you wearing?" Claire glowered at him.

"What?" Embry asked. "I'm asking for Quil, not me."

"Well _Quil_ already knows," Claire replied boldly. Mia looked like she was trying not to crack up. I'm pretty sure I was blushing.

"Fine, new question."

"What is it this time?"

"Is Quil a good kisser?"

Claire's face flushed red as she answered. "Yes, he is. Is the interview over now?"

"We're just getting started," Seth laughed. We reached the house then. Amelia was playing with a Barbie on the steps while Sam was taking a ton of burgers off of the grill.

"Hey Sam!" Jacob called.

"How's it going Jake? Long time no see," Sam replied.

"He's miserable," Mia shared.

"Sounds fun," Sam nodded.

Jacob frowned. I knew he wished that he could have Nessie around, but it wasn't a good idea with two new and barely trained werewolves running around. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Those burgers smell awesome!" Collin gushed.

"Well lucky for you it's time to eat. I made potato salad," Emily said, returning from the kitchen carrying the potato salad. Collin practically ran to the table. Mostly all of the pack sat down. Jacob, Embry, Mason, Jamie, and me stayed behind and Sam came over to us. Jacob and Sam started to talk about how Mason and Jamie came along. Mason's eyes were on Claire, who was still at my side. I fought back the urge to jump on him, and just pulled Claire tighter to me. I knew that I wouldn't lose control if Claire was at my side. Claire didn't seem to notice the attention Mason was paying to her.

"So you have already met Jamie," Jake said, "But this is Mason." Jacob frowned slightly when he said his name. It was reassuring to know that I wasn't the only one who wasn't a fan of the guy.

Mason let his eyes linger on my Claire for another second before he turned to Sam and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you Mason," Sam smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sir. You're Claire's uncle, right?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I am," Sam answered back unsurely.

"In that case, it is _very _nice to meet you." I was ready to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of the back door opening and then closing.

Eliza walked out of the house, her best friend, (And Embry's imprint) Lilly at her side. They actually looked more like sisters than best friends. Each girl had the exact same white-blond hair, with the only difference being that Eliza's was curly and Lilly's was straight. Lilly was also a bit paler than Eliza, and her eyes were blue instead of green, but you would still have to be blind to say that the girls didn't look similar. I'm not sure who's face lit up more when the girls walked out, Embry's, or Brady's. "Hey Eliza!" Brady called, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey," Eliza replied, but her attention wasn't on him. It was on our small group. Specifically, Mason.

Lilly waved at the rest of the pack as her and Eliza headed towards us. Eliza walked straight up to Mason and held out her hand, that patent Eliza smirk on her face. "Hi, I'm Eliza, Claire's little sister."

Mason shook her hand, too. _Blech! Eliza really needs to wash that hand._

"I'm Lilly," Lilly said. Mason's eyes flew to look at Embry and a smirk spread across his face.

"So _you're _Lilly," He said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lilly raised a blond eyebrow.

"Never mind," Mason's smile made my skin crawl, he was such a slime ball.

"Claire was right, you _are _attractive," Eliza had a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. I tried not to growl.

"Eliza!" Claire hissed, her face red.

"Hot hmm?" Mason asked, turning to Claire, a cocky look on his face.

"I never said _that_," Claire's face was completely red. Mason shrugged.

_Did_ Claire really say that? I wasn't sure if I wanted to know.

Emily called Sam over to her and he left the group. Eliza watched him go before turning back to Mason. "So Mason," she began. "I've heard that you are _quite_ the ass hole."

"Well aren't you forward . . . Princess talking about me behind my back? I wouldn't be surprised." Mason shot me a dirty look.

"Princess?" Eliza asked.

"Oh, me and Quil have friendly nicknames for each other. He's Princess because he has no balls and acts like a little whiny bitch."

"Dick," I breathed.

"And that would be my nickname . . ." Mason had an arrogant look on his face, the kind that made me want to punch him.

"Wait, I thought Mason's nickname was Newbie?" Embry asked.

"Wouldn't that technically be _my _nickname?" Jamie asked.

"I'm getting a drink," Claire murmured, squeezing my hand and then walking away.

Mason and I both watched her go. When she was out of earshot I turned to Mason, my eyes narrowed.

"Ever notice how she sways her hips when she walks?" He asked me.

"Stay away from her," I growled.

"No."

"Claire is _mine_."

"Are you sure about that?" He asked. I snarled.

"This is getting ridiculous," Jake sighed, walking off.

"Not to butt in, but this whole thing seems stupid," Lilly said. "I mean, Mason, you've known Claire for what, two days? Quil has known Claire forever, _and _he's her imprint. If you think that you can break apart an imprint, then you obviously know _nothing_ about imprinting."

"Oh? Well you seem to know a lot about imprinting. Are you speaking from personal experience?" Mason raised an eyebrow.

I saw Embry clench his jaw, his were fists balled tightly.

"No, but I know how it works. You clearly don't," Lilly replied sharply.

"Not the friendliest bunch of people," Mason breathed. Then he walked off and sat beside Danny at the picnic table.

"I can see why you don't like him, Quil," Lilly frowned.

"I think he's cool," Eliza shrugged. I peeked at Brady, and he was watching us. Well he was watching Eliza. He looked upset. The poor guy. But I didn't have time to pity Brady, I had my own problems.

"Excuse me," I murmured, leaving the group and walking to the house.

I found Claire in her room, sitting on her bed. She looked up at me quickly, and then turned around.

"Claire?" I asked nervously. She didn't respond. I moved towards the bed and climbed on to it, turning her back around to me. "Claire, what's wrong?"

"Just say it," She grumbled, not looking me in the eyes.

"Say what?"

"You told me so," She murmured.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I said honestly.

"Mason, he's a dick," She admitted quietly. I chuckled.

"So you're mad at me because Mason is a jerk?"

"I'm not mad at you. I'm just mad at myself for being stupid."

I frowned and made her look up at me. "Claire, don't be mad at yourself."

"But now every time we argue about something you are going to hold this over me!"

"Claire, do you know me at all?" I frowned. "You know I would never do that."

"You say that now . . ."

"And I mean it. People make mistakes. I make millions of mistakes."

"You're perfect," Claire complained. "You don't make mistakes. You never do."

"I can name several mistakes I have made in just the past few days."

She looked at me expectantly. "I should have told you about werewolves on your birthday. I shouldn't have stopped myself from kissing you during the movie. I should have explained myself then and there. I should have known from that look in his eye that Mason was going to go looking for you. I should have stayed as far away from Mason as possible once we got here. I should have walked away when you did."

Claire knotted her fingers in my hair and pulled me towards her. Our lips crashed together, much like they had outside. But this time, there was no one to stop us. The taste of her mouth was intoxicating. It was sweet as sugar and just plain marvelous . . . Just like her.

"I love you so much," She moaned in to my mouth.

"Please love me forever," I begged her, kissing her again.

"Okay," She replied. I wasn't able to say anything back, because her tongue was in my mouth.

I never got around to eating lunch. I only stopped kissing Claire when Mia came in and dragged us apart, saying we had to get back.

"Okay, I'll be out in a second." I waved her off and she sighed in exasperation before walking back down the hall.

Once she was gone I brought Claire back to my lips. We kissed passionately and desperately, knowing that we wouldn't be able to share another kiss for a while. "Let's do something tonight," I said.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Well, we've technically never been on a date."

"You want to take me out on a _date_?" She giggled.

"Yes, I do," I kissed her cheek.

"What time?"

"Six thirty?"

Claire frowned, "Okay."

"What's wrong?" My voice was full of concern.

"I'm going to miss you," She said. I smiled.

"I'm going to miss you, too."


	13. Don't Tell

**Author's Note: Special treat for you guys in this chapter. As always, enjoy. This chapter is not one of the funnier ones, but it's still important and I really like the way it turned out. **

_Claire_

I walked with Quil to the back door, squeezing his hand tightly. I _really _didn't want him to leave.

"Don't go," I whispered as we reached the edge of the deck.

"You know I have to," Quil replied sadly. I nodded and swallowed hard. I felt the tightness grow in my throat. Was I _really _going to cry? I would see Quil in just four hours!

Four long lonely hours . . .

Quil tilted my chin up and bent down to kiss me softly on the lips one final time.

Most of the pack had already disappeared through the trees. "Come on man!" Seth called impatiently.

"I'll see you tonight," Quil promised quickly before running after the rest of the pack.

I watched him go, feeling completely alone. It took me a minute to realize that I wasn't the only one on the deck.

"You're so lucky," Lilly sighed. Hearing her voice made me jump. She was sitting on the railing, looking out at the tree line.

"Yeah, Quil is a great guy," I smiled sadly, sitting on the deck steps.

"Not because of that," Lilly said. "You're just lucky because everything is working out for you. You're in love with someone that loves you back. I wish I could say that."

"You'll find someone one day," I told her. _And his name is Embry Call. _

Lilly was quiet for a moment. "I already found someone . . . Trust me, it's never going to work."

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't see me that way. And he's older than me, at least, for now he is," Lilly admitted quietly.

"For now? If someone is older than you, it is kind of impossible to pass them in age," I reminded her in a _duh_ voice.

"Not if the other person hasn't gotten a day older in fourteen years," Lilly breathed.

I raised an eyebrow. Was she implying what I thought she was?

"It's one of them . . . ?"

She nodded.

"I really like him. But it won't work out because he's my best friend," She said quietly. I tried to stifle my surprise. I knew she was talking about him all along, but it still shocked me to hear her admit it.

"You're in love with Embry?" I tried not to sound overly excited.

"Yes. No. Maybe . . . I don't know how I feel," She confessed.

"Does Eliza know about this?" I asked. Lilly shook her head.

"Don't tell her. Don't tell _anyone_. Please," Lilly begged.

"Okay," I replied without thinking.

"Promise?"

"I promise. I won't tell a soul," I couldn't betray Lilly. But the question burned brightly inside of me.

_ How the hell am I going to keep this a secret? _

Keeping it from Eliza would be difficult because she is so intuitive, but I could do it. Keeping it from Quil would be horrible. How could I not be honest with my one true love? It's not that I didn't trust Quil, but Embry was in his head almost every day.

Oh god . . . Keeping it from Embry. I really couldn't do this! Embry had been one of my best friends since I was a child. And worse, I knew that he didn't just think of Lilly as a friend either. He smiled so hugely when she came out today that I actually thought his face was going to freeze that way. But no one told me how Quil felt, so it wasn't right of me to tell anyone how Lilly may have possibly felt. I would just have to trust it would work out in the end.

We sat in awkward silence for a moment. I tried desperately to think of a way to change the subject. "So," I began, unsure of where I was going with this, "Where _is _my demonic little sister?"

"Sam and Emily took her for a walk. They need to give her the 'Werewolf Talk.'"

"Oh," I replied. The silence settled in again. The next time I spoke, though, it wasn't to cure an awkward moment.

"Lilly?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"How come," I paused briefly to figure out the right way to ask this. "How come you know about werewolves. I mean, how did you find out before me? You're not even fifteen."

Lilly smiled sadly and came to sit beside me on the steps. "It's a long story."

"Trust me, I've got nothing but time."

_Lilly _

It all came back to me. It always did. I knew, that no matter how long I lived, I would always remember the moment perfectly.

I was nine, a little over half way to ten. My parents had been fighting a ton, and I just needed to get away from it all for a while. The forest around Forks was thick and green and had offered me what I thought would be a peaceful escape from the sadness for an hour or two. But the forest was too dense, the trees were too tall, and I became lost almost immediately.

I tried my hardest to navigate through the trees, but could sense that I was just getting more and more lost. I had scrapes on my knees and my hair was dirty from the countless times I had tripped over tree roots and fell. I had probably been wandering aimlessly in the forest for four or five hours, crying and desperately trying to call for help.

She got there first. The girl was much older than me, probably seventeen or eighteen, and she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She moved so quickly, practically appearing out of thin air. The moment the girl saw me she froze. I heard more footsteps coming after her, maybe two people. But when the other one caught up to her, it froze too. The minute I saw it, I should have felt terror. I should have screamed, ran away, called for help. But I didn't. I felt so drawn to it, I felt like it was a friend I had known for years.

But that was impossible, considering it was a massive wolf. I had never seen a wolf so big. The beautiful girl was at the back of my mind now, all I could stare at was it.

"Damn," The girl cursed quietly. She was maybe eight feet away from me. I couldn't run away. I had seen her speed –she flew through the trees faster than a moving car– and the wolf was even faster than that. But even if I stood a running chance, the thought of turning away and running was unthinkable. I couldn't leave. I couldn't ignore the connection I felt to the animal.

It wasn't just an animal. It had an amazingly focused and intelligent look in its eyes as it stared me down. And it wasn't looking at me as a meal, it was looking at me in pure astonishment, like _I _was the ten foot tall werewolf.

There was a voice whispering in my head that he was probably dangerous. The girl had probably been running from him. But then there was another voice, telling me that maybe _she_ was the dangerous one, and he was chasing _her_. But in the end, it was my heart that I listened to, telling me that neither of them would hurt me.

"Are you okay?" The lovely girl asked. I nodded weakly. I hadn't felt okay just a few minutes ago, but now I felt oddly peaceful. I didn't look at the girl. I never stopped staring in to the amazing creature's eyes. And it stared back in to mine.

"He won't bite," The girl promised. "Will you Embry?"

So it's name was Embry. The wolf had a name, and it was a he. Somehow, I couldn't imagine him being her pet.

"What's your name?" The girl asked. I felt like my voice was gone. Had I ever spoken before? What was my name again? All I could think of was Embry. Embry . . . _Embry._

"I think she's in shock," The girl commented. Who was she talking to? Embry? Was she really talking to an animal? Maybe she was crazy . . .

"Lilly," I murmured after a solid minute of silence.

"Well Lilly," The girl said, "I promise that we aren't going to hurt you, I just have some questions." I nodded.

"How old are you?" She asked.

"Nine."

"Are you out here all alone?"

I nodded.

"How long have you been lost out here?"

"I don't know. Hours."

"Where do you live?"

"Forks."

I finally tore my gaze away from Embry, and I was amazed that looking away from him actually kind of _hurt_. The beautiful girl looked worried.

"Who _are _you?" I asked her.

"My name is Renesmee, but no one really calls me that."

"Well Renesmee, what are _you_ doing in the middle of the forest? And why do you have a wolf? And why were you running? And how were you running so fast?" The questions inside me spilled out one after another.

Renesmee chewed her lip for a minute. She opened here mouth to speak, but then closed it. I refocused my attention on Embry. I didn't even notice that I was walking towards him until he was two feet in front of me. This close, he was even larger. He looked even more menacing. But I still wasn't afraid. Much to all of our surprise, I reached out and stroked Embry's fur. It was silkier than I had expected it would be, and I liked it.

"Hey Embry, I think you made a friend," Renesmee giggled.

"Do you actually think he can understand you?" I questioned, turning my head slightly to look at her. "I mean, he's a wolf."

"Can you keep a secret Lilly?" Renesmee asked.

"If I say yes will you answer my questions?"

Renesmee nodded.

_Claire _

"And they told me everything. I'm not really sure what made them decided to trust a nine year old girl, but they did," Lilly finished.

I was surprised by the story. I couldn't imagine what that would have been like for me. If I met Quil for the first time when he was in wolf form. If I was just a little girl when I found out. No wonder Lilly was so mature for her age, she had really seen it all.

"I haven't seen any of them in wolf form since then. But I remember it. It was frightening, but I wasn't afraid. Does that make sense?" Lilly asked.

I nodded in total understanding, going back to a few nights ago, when I had seen Quil phase. "So why was Renesmee in the forest with Embry anyways, did you ever find out?"

"She was looking for Jacob. Embry was taking her to him," Lilly explained.

"And the two of you have been best friends ever since . . ."

Lilly nodded, letting out a sad sigh. "He's such a great guy. I think he's better than he gives himself credit for."

"Yeah, Embry's the best," I smiled, thinking of Quil. "Okay . . . the second best."

"You and Quil are adorable," Lilly gushed.

"He makes me so happy. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for–"

"Mason?" Lilly guessed.

"Yeah," I frowned. Despite the red flags that went up when I first saw him, and what Quil had told me, I still had wanted so badly to believe Mason was a good guy. But between last night and this afternoon, I just had to admit that he wasn't. I still didn't believe that he was in to me, but I knew for a fact that I could never be friends with someone who hated Quil, the most important person in the world to me.

"There's something about him, I don't like it. Not one bit," Lilly decided.

"I thought he was kind of fun," Eliza said, letting the back door shut behind her.

"Yup, then he is _definitely _bad news," Lilly teased.

"Shut up," Eliza play shoved her as she sat down beside us.

"So how'd the talk go?" I asked.

"Okay, I guess. They didn't ground me, but they took away my cell phone for a week because I never told them that I knew."

"You without your phone for a week? Oh, the horror!" Lilly chuckled. Eliza stuck her tongue out at her.

"It would have been worse if they knew the truth about you," I commented.

"What do you mean?" Lilly asked.

"They don't know that I'm brilliant. I kind of told them that _you_ told me," Eliza admitted.

"Liza!" Lilly smacked her leg.

"It was my idea," I confessed. "But don't worry, Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily love you! That's never going to change."

"They must still like you since they said I can still sleepover at your house tonight," Eliza smiled.

"I _love_ your parents . . . I mean your Aunt and Uncle," Lilly corrected herself, blushing. I felt sad inside. Sam and Emily practically _were_ my parents. They had technically adopted us a few months after Mom died. They were the closest things I had to parents. I barely remembered my dad . . . Sam had been my only father in my life for eleven years. And even when my mom was alive, Emily was always a second mother to me.

"I know, right?" Eliza smiled, brushing off Lilly's slip of the tongue easily. "I'm going to go pack, be out in five." She ran inside.

"So," Lilly said after a few moments. "What are you and Mr. Boyfriend doing tonight?"

"He's taking me out on a date," I smiled.

"Where are you guys going?"

"No idea," I admitted. "He's 'surprising me,'" I made air quotes while saying the last two words.

"Ooh, romantic. Any idea what you're gonna wear?"

"None. I don't know, probably just jeans."

"Certainly not!" Lilly said. "Wear a dress or a skirt or something pretty."

"But what if it's cold?"

"He'll keep you plenty warm," Lilly smiled mischievously.

"We'll see," I sighed. We fell back into a peaceful silence.

"Claire?" Lilly asked a minute later.

"Yeah."

"Remember, you can't tell _anyone. _Not Eliza, not Renesmee, not anyone. Especially no one in the pack. If one of them knows something, they all do. And I can't risk losing Embry as a friend," Lilly's voice was begging.

"Don't worry. I'll keep your secret," I reassured her.

"Thanks Claire! You're the best!" She pulled me in to a hug. The hug surprised me almost as much as the fact that she had confided in me instead of Eliza. Sure, me and Lilly had one major thing in common, we both got imprinted on before we were of age, but Lilly didn't know that. And Eliza was her best friend. (Well, minus Embry she was.) I had always considered Lilly a friend, but when we met, she was a year and a half younger than me. Her and Eliza were only a couple months apart. The first time Lilly came over, her and Eliza had just clicked. Those were the good old days before Eliza was an evil little sneak.

"Am I missing something?" Eliza asked, coming out of the house with her overnight bag. Lilly was still giving me a hug.

"Nah, I was just telling Claire how happy I am for her," Lilly lied smoothly, releasing me from her tight embrace. Maybe she had more Eliza in her than I gave her credit for . . .

"Oookay," Eliza answered uncertainly. "You ready to go? Emily said she'll drive us."

"Yeah," She replied. Lilly hopped up and over to Eliza.

"Bye Claire!" Lilly waved as the two started inside. "Remember! No jeans!" And then the door shut behind them.

_Quil_

"Wow," I breathed as Claire opened the door.

"Hey," Claire said. She had a huge smile on her face as she looked up at me. I smiled back down at her. I'd missed Claire so much in the past few hours.

"I missed you," I told her. Claire smiled wider and jumped up in to my arms, grabbing my face and kissing me. I heard someone clearing their throat behind me and jumped, pulling away from Claire instantly.

Sam was leaning his side against the wall a ways down the hall. His arms were crossed over his chest, but he didn't appear to be angry. "I want her home by ten."

"Sam," I heard Emily's scolding voice coming from the kitchen.

"Okay, fine, ten thirty."

Emily appeared in the hallway. "Have her home whenever."

I smiled at her. "Okay."

"Oh, and Quil, I talked to the council. We're going to have a bonfire tomorrow so the new wolves can hear the legends. Everyone is invited to come. Can you let the pack know?"

"Sure thing."

"Okay, we're leaving," Claire called, dragging me out the door. I easily could have stopped her, but just played along and let her drag me.

"Well aren't you eager," I giggled.

"Come on, they are probably watching us through the windows. The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can finish our kiss."

I smiled, picked her up, and we were at the car in less than a second. I placed her inside before quickly getting in and backing down the driveway.

"What's with the truck anyways? Wouldn't it be faster if we ran?" Claire asked.

"And ruin your pretty dress? Never," I chuckled, once again admiring her silver spaghetti strap dress.

"Oh shut up and drive. I'm waiting for my kiss."

"Don't make me get in a car accident now," I warned her.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not telling," I told her.

"Well how much longer?"

"Not long," I answered vaguely.

"You're so mean! I hate you," She complained.

"That's not how you get kisses."

"Oh really? Because I know that you're just _dying _to kiss me."

She was right of course. I wanted to stop the truck in the middle of the road and pull Claire over to my lap and kiss her all night long. But I didn't want to skip out on our date. I pressed harder on the gas, but my old truck could only go so fast.

Two minutes later, we arrived at our destination. Dusk was setting in, replacing the muted daylight. It was a beautiful night, at least by La Push standards.

"Are we really where I think we are?" Claire raised an eyebrow. I smirked and got out of the truck, going over to her side and opening the door. I took her small hand in my much larger one and led her through the thin brush of trees to the water. It was a very secluded strip of beach that had always been mine and Claire's spot. _And _it was where we had fought just yesterday before I told her. I led her to the dark blue picnic blanket laying on the beach. The picnic basket was just where I had left it before I went to get Claire.

Claire had a wide smile on her face as she took it all in. "So," I asked, "How did I do for our first date?"

"It's perfect!" Claire squealed. She hopped up into my arms and I held on to her so she wouldn't fall. Our lips reunited so passionately that my heart almost exploded out of my chest and went to live with hers. She already had my heart figuratively, and now I felt like I was about to give it to her literally. Claire clung to me tightly. I wondered if she would ever let go.

_Please don't ever let go. _I wanted to keep her in my arms forever. Call me selfish, I don't care. I never wanted anyone else to get to enjoy my Claire's company. I wanted her all to myself.

"I love you so much," She whispered in to my mouth. I was truly on cloud nine.

"You know I love you back," I chuckled, squeezing her for a moment before sitting her down on the blanket.

"Hey, I never said I was done kissing you," She mumbled.

"You're so greedy," I complained, secretly happy that she wanted more.

"No. I'm territorial. You're mine, and I have a right to take what is mine." Claire pulled me down to the blanket and kissed me again. I would be lying if I said that I was not somewhat turned on. Claire was my everything. She was gorgeous and smart and sexy and caring and witty and just plain wonderful. And her kisses . . . _Oh god._

Claire was now laying on the blanket with me hovering over her. I wouldn't free her lips from mine for even a second. Her tongue slid across mine, and the sensation was intoxicating.

_Okay, now I'm _really _turned on. _

It didn't help that Claire was rubbing her body against mine, or that one of her hands had slipped down to undo the button on my jeans. _This is ridiculous! We are in a public place! Someone could walk by and see us at any moment. _

"Umm, Claire?" I breathed, my lips brushing hers as I spoke.

"Yes?" She breathed back.

"Getting arrested for having sex with a sixteen year old girl in a public place is not the best way to spend a first date, don't you think?" I asked.

Claire made a _humph_ noise and removed her hands from the rim of my jeans. "Way to kill the mood, Ateara."

I pecked her on the lips and then rolled over to lay on my back beside her. She placed her hand in mine and I squeezed it. I couldn't help but compare the moment to the last time I was with Claire at our spot. The yelling, the fighting, the agony. Just the memory made me wrap my arms around her and pull her right up to my side.

"What're you thinking about?" Claire asked.

"You," I smiled.

"Specifically?"

"The last time we were here . . ."

"Oh," Claire cuddled closer to me.

"I can't believe you thought I was mad at you!" I scoffed.

"You were almost two hours late," Claire defended. "I thought you were bailing."

"It's all Mason's fault. He's been trying to ruin our relationship since the start."

"Ugh, I don't even want to talk about him. He's just so . . . cocky. I feel like a total idiot."

"Claire, you could never, _ever _be an idiot."

"I should have just not talked to him. But I wanted to believe that he was actually a nice guy with a rough exterior."

"Rough exterior? I thought he was _hot_," I teased.

"Shut up! I didn't say he was hot . . ." Claire said. "Well, I didn't actually say the words . . . But regardless, you're _way _hotter."

"Am I, now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"The hottest," Claire admitted.

"Yeah . . . sure," I chuckled.

"Now Quil, I _have _seen you naked. And I can firmly say that you are the sexiest man in the world."

"Uh huh. And how many other men have you seen naked? Because I think that may affect your answer."

"Shut up." She shoved me lightly and sat up, opening the picnic basket and looking inside. "Are these peanut butter and Nutella?" Claire asked, holding up two plastic-wrapped sandwiches.

"Your favorite," I smiled.

"Oh my god I love you!" Claire squealed, practically pouncing on me.

"I think we established that."

"No one likes a smart ass," Claire warned in a light, teasing voice. She took a big bite of one sandwich and handed me the other.

"What if sandwiches wasn't really the plural to sandwich?" Claire asked. I chuckled. We had always played the "what if" game, asking weirder and weirder questions every time.

"Then they would have to make up a new plural for the word, like sandwichi."

"Wait a minute. Who's they? And why do they get to make up the plurals?"

"Because if it were up to people like us, we would all happily be munching on our sandwichi," I said, practically inhaling my sandwich.

"I still think it isn't fair," Claire commented.

"You're silly."

"Silly is a silly word," She reminded me, a shy smile on her face as she looked at me. What did the world's most amazing girl have to be shy about?

"What if," I began, "I were to give you a kiss right now?"

"What if I didn't want you to?"

"What if I told you that you can't answer a question with a question?"

"What if I ignored you?"

"What if–" I had nothing to say to that. I growled in defeat and then grabbed her face, kissing her fiercely. She reacted immediately. I pulled her on to my lap and she wrapped her legs tightly around my torso. My right hand was gripping her ass firmly, the other keeping her face hard against mine. She broke the kiss to pull my shirt over my head.

"What if . . . We tried again?" Claire breathed. I would have once again made the argument that we were technically in a public place, but hearing her words made me so hard. Fuck! I _needed_ Claire.

"You don't need to ask me twice," I whispered before diving back in. I pulled the stretchy material of her dress down her body, so our lips would not need to part. My hand had just made its way to the clasp of her bra when I heard it.

_Are you fucking serious right now? _

I gently pushed Claire away from me. "Damn. Damn, damn, damn!" I cursed.

"What's wrong, Quil? Did I do something?" She asked self-concisely. Her human ears mustn't have heard it. But I did. And as much as I wanted to, I couldn't ignore it.

"No, no. You didn't do anything, I have to go," I told her in a distracted voice. It all made sense now.

"Why?" Claire's face looked so disappointed that my heart shattered.

"Duty calls," I said bitterly. Before she could say anything else, I kissed her desperately on the lips.

I pulled away after a few seconds. "I love you."

She looked horribly worried, now. "Quil? What is going on? Is there another new wolf?"

I shook my head. "Normally there is only one or two, and whoever is around takes care of it. But two howls is . . . a different case."

She looked at me, her eyes desperate for answers. "One or two what? What is wrong?"

"Take my truck, go _straight _home, okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what two howls means."

"There's only one enemy of the tribe, Claire. Vampires. And in this case, lots of them."

She gasped. "I won't let you go," her voice broke.

"I have to go Claire, I'll be fine, I promise." I kissed her quickly one last time before turning and running off. Before I disappeared through the trees, I turned my head to look at Claire one more time, wondering if it would be the last.


	14. Talents

**Author's Note: This chapter isn't quiet as long as previous ones, but the next one should be longer. Also, I created a writing Twitter where I will post teasers and updates on how my chapters are coming along. Follow me: carleewrites**

_Quil_

_Six of them! Six! I've never seen such a big coven of vampires outside of the Cullen's and the Volturi! _Seth was in full panic mode when I phased. He continued to freak out, but none of it registered in my head. All I could process was the first three words.

There were _six _vampires.

_Seth! Get a grip man! _Mia ordered.

_It was crazy! When me and Nolan and Danny came across them, they _smiled!

_Yeah! And they stopped running, it was like they were giving us an invitation to fight them! _Danny added.

_Where are they now? _Embry asked.

_I don't know. We knew that we couldn't take all six of them, we had to get away from them, _Nolan admitted guiltily.

_Don't worry, you did the right thing, _Leah reassured them.

_You think Jacob heard the call? _Jamie asked. His thoughts were nervous. The poor kid only had a day of training.

_Well lets hope so, because we don't have time to go calling him, we have vampires to hunt, _Brady thought.

Jamie swallowed hard. I could feel the panic within Nolan. He wasn't worried about himself, but was terrified for his baby brother. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed Nolan's distress.

_Maybe Jamie should stay back and watch over the homestead. _Grayson suggested. I knew he was worried about Jamie, too. He had known the kid since he was a baby.

Leah was technically in charge at the moment, since Jake wasn't around. Normally, she would have been thrilled to be in control, but not tonight. This was a bigger issue than she had ever had to deal with before.

_Good idea, we need someone to watch over our families. _Leah decided.

_Come on guys! I can do this. None of you are telling Mason to stay back . . . _Jamie tried to sound braver than he felt.

_That's because none of them like me, _Mason reminded him. I hadn't even noticed Mason's presence until then.

_Just turn around Jamie, go home! _Nolan ordered. Jamie flinched from Nolan's tone and obeyed. I saw him turn and change direction through his thoughts.

Mia and Embry suddenly appeared beside me as I started to get closer to the small group of us that had formed. Leah, Embry, me, Mia, Nolan, Seth, Danny, and Mason. Brady was on his way, followed by Collin and Grayson. Still no sign of Austin or Jacob.

_I smell them alright. _Leah cringed, sniffing the forest around us.

_They're just running aimlessly through the forest. _Mason sounded confused, something that I had never seen from him. What happened to Mr. Always On Top Of Things?

_Don't act like you know me, Princess, _he growled. But I knew his heart wasn't in it, and I didn't have time to fight with him at the moment.

_What's going on? _Jacob asked, his thoughts joining with ours.

_Yeah, what's the update? _And there was Austin. We saw through his thoughts that he had went to get Jacob once he heard the howl, knowing that Jake wouldn't have heard it.

Our thoughts filled them in almost instantly.

_Okay, game plan. There are thirteen of us and six of them. We'll divide and conquer. Groups. Me and Leah. Quil and Embry. Grayson and Nolan. Seth and Austin. Brady and Collin. Danny and Mia. Each group takes a vamp. _

_ Um, hello! What about me? _Mason asked.

_Oh yeah, not used to having more than twelve of us. You go with Quil and Embry for tonight, they'll help you. _

_ No we won't. _Embry growled.

_**Yes, you will. **__We can all go back to hating each other once the bloodsuckers are dead. _Jacob ordered.

_They're coming! _Brady announced. He had an incredible sense of smell. We all tensed up. A few seconds later I started to smell them, too. The horrible smell burned my nose.

_Oh god, _Mason flinched. He wasn't accustomed to the horrible burning smell yet. But I wasn't focused on that, there were stranger things going on. They were coming _right _at us.

Mia was the only one of us who was able to voice her thoughts. _Prepare for impact in three . . . two . . . one. _

And right on her count, the six of them appeared before us.

Four male, two female. They looked at us knowingly, with a horrible glint in their ruby eyes.

The fighting started almost instantly. One of the males (The one with black hair that fell in his eyes) went straight for Jacob. He seemed to be the coven leader. Leah and Jacob began their dance with him.

The others divided themselves, much like we had. Each one of the other five chose a team to attack. It was strange, like they not only accepted the fight, but they were _ready. _

The one that came at the three of us was one of the males. Embry and I tried to corner it, but he was too fast.

_What's the plan? _Mason asked seriously.

_We're winging it, _Embry replied.

_Perfect, _Mason retorted.

The vamp tried to grab me, but Embry ripped his arm off before he got the chance to.

_We have to stop him from getting that arm back, _Embry thought.

_I'll ge– _Whatever I was going to say got cut off. My thoughts weren't mine to control anymore. All I could think about was Mason. Images appeared in my head of him hurting Claire. Him trying to steal her away from me. Him trying to have his way with her. And then the images got even worse. Me not being able to save Claire. Her laying dead on the road, her body drained of blood. Me failing miserably. Not being able to do anything about it. Me dying right now. Never seeing Claire again. Leaving her to marry someone else. To love someone else. Claire marrying Mason.

It was like everything I didn't want to think about, all of my worst nightmares, were all that I could think about. It was agonizing.

_What's happening to him? _I heard Mia ask.

_I don't think it's something he can– _Andthen the horrible images left my brain, and went on to Mason. I watched in horror as all of the things he didn't want to think about came to the surface.

It was me kissing Claire. Over and over again in his head. Our first kiss against the house. In the forest. Just this afternoon. Claire telling Mason that I was her boyfriend. Claire ignoring him earlier today.

The vampire we were supposed to be fighting had fled up a tree. He was just sitting there, watching us, a sly smile on his face. Then it hit me. It was _him_ doing this. He was a gifted leech.

_Mason, you have to snap out of this! _Embry tried to pull him out of his thoughts.

_It's the vamp! He has powers! _I informed them. But ours wasn't the only one. The rest of the pack was having vampire issues too.

Brady and Collin kept trying to charge at their vamp, but whenever they tried to get close to him they froze, like they were paralyzed in fear.

Jacob pushed the dark haired male him and Leah were fighting to the ground. But before he could take even one snap at him, Jake was howling in pain. The burning sensation was so horrible that every member of the pack felt it through his thoughts. It made me wince.

_Are you okay? _I asked urgently. He wasn't able to respond. This had made Leah hesitant to take down the vampire, but he had no problem trying to attack her.

The little bright blue haired girl was giving Danny and Mia quite a bit of trouble. They couldn't even control their body movements. What the hell was going on?

Our guy moved his little gift on to Embry. His thoughts were all of Lilly at that point. He was _definitely _in love with her already. All of the thoughts he didn't want to think about were about her. How beautiful she already was. How every time there was any guy around he felt like he needed to tell them that Lilly was _his_. The way that Lilly knew him better than anyone else. How he wanted to be much more than just her friend. Then he saw Lilly finding out. Lilly being creeped out. Lilly avoiding him. And then the worst images of all, the one that every pack member who had ever imprinted couldn't bare to think about. Lilly dead, with Embry unable to do anything to save her.

Jacob was still feeling the burn on his front paws from who knows what. It was taking irregularly long for him to heal.

Grayson and Nolan's vampire was the other female. It was baffling. Watching what was really happening competed with what Grayson and Nolan saw through _their _eyes. It was two totally different things. Grayson and Nolan were seeing fire everywhere. They kept swiping for her in the totally wrong place, but it _looked _like the right one to them. She was making them hallucinate or something. Yet _another _gifted one.

Seth had to abandon Austin to go help Collin and Brady, who kept getting too terrified to move. This left Austin on his own to fight the smallest of the vampires. He was just a young boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen. But he wasn't anywhere near an easy kill. Everything for Austin was slightly fuzzy. He could barely smell anything, his eyesight was weak, he could barely hear anything, feel anything. It was like all of his senses were weaker, duller.

Poor Leah was maybe in the toughest situation of us all, though. She was trying to guard Jacob and trying to fight her vampire at the same time. But she was still hesitant to touch the thing.

We didn't know how to fight these vampires, but they certainly knew how to fight us. And we were losing. I felt someone's pain splinter through me as a vampire snapped their leg. Who was it? We all felt the wolf's pain, but it took me a moment to pinpoint the source to Embry. Our vamp had jumped down from the tree and gotten him while he was still trapped in his own head. Now the vampire was jumping for me. It took me a millisecond too long to process what was happening.

And then everything went black.

_Claire_

Quil didn't come in to my room that night. There was no word from him at all. By morning, I was starting to get seriously worried. I pulled out my cell and tried to call him for the eighth time.

The phone rang and rang until his voicemail picked it up. Hearing his voice through the answering machine made my heart ache. The beep sounded and I began to leave another pathetic voicemail.

"Hey Baby, it's me. I was just calling to make sure you were alright. Please, um, call me when you get this. I'm getting really worried. Love you, bye." The first tears fell from my eyes. Where the hell was he? Was he alright? Was he dead? Were they all dead?

No, I couldn't think like that. Quil was fine. They were _all _fine. His phone was just on silent, or he lost it. Maybe he came over when I was asleep and didn't want to wake me.

I repeated it over and over, trying to drill it in to my brain. _Quil is fine. Quil is fine. Quil is fine. _

But it wasn't working, more tears dripped down my cheeks. If he _was _alright, then why didn't he pick up his truck? Why didn't he try to come over this morning? Why didn't he let me know that he was alright?

I started to cry a little harder as I thought of every worst-case scenario that I could.

"Knock knock," Emily said quietly before coming in. She looked worried. "Still no word from Quil, huh?" She asked.

I just nodded, trying to stop the flow of tears and quiet the small whimpering noises I was making.

"He's okay, Claire," She tried to reassure me. But I could tell from the sound of her voice that she didn't actually know that.

"Th– then where i– is he?" I asked, my breathing heavy and uneven.

"I'm sure he was just tired. He's probably asleep right now."

"He would have called, I know he would have." I was practically sobbing now. "He's dead. He died and I'm never going to see him again."

"I used to feel that way every time your Uncle Sam left. If he was gone for more than a few hours, he was always dead," Emily recalled. "Did Quil tell you about the time the Volturi came to kill Renesmee?"

I nodded weakly. It was one of the stories Quil had told me on the day I found out.

"When they were getting ready to leave, the way Quil was looking at you. It's like he was never going to see you again. And I was so certain that they were all going to die. But they made it back without a scratch on them."

"That's because there was no fighting," I argued.

"And for all you know, there may have been no fighting last night. Maybe they are hunting the vampires down as we speak." I didn't respond, just kept crying. There was silence for a minute. Emily just held me in her arms and let me cry. It was a nice gesture, but as much as I loved Emily, it wasn't her arms that I wanted around me right now.

"Come eat something later, Claire. Skipping meals doesn't help anything," Were Emily's parting words. I just needed to be alone and cry, and she understood. She closed the door gently behind her.

I knew that things were bad when Eliza didn't even come to taunt me. It was lunch time. No word from Quil in over fifteen hours. I tried calling Quil three more times, no answer. I tried calling Embry, no answer. I tried Jacob, no answer. _So none of them are around, _I thought to myself.

I wondered if maybe Nessie had heard anything from Jacob. I hesitantly called her and brought the phone to my ear.

To my surprise, she answered after just two rings. "Claire?"

"Hey Nessie," I answered, trying to keep my voice even.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you heard anything from the pack?"

Renesmee was quiet for a moment. "They made it to the main house last night. Some of them were injured. The vampires got away."

The first thing I felt was relief. The second, uncertainty. "Who was injured?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well one of them broke Embry's left leg, he's healing now. Austin got knocked really hard against a tree and broke a couple of bones in his back. He's healing, too. Jacob," Her voice broke when she said his name, "He has these horrible burns all over his arms and hands. Carlisle is trying to figure out why it hasn't healed yet, we aren't sure what it is."

"Anyone else?" No response.

"Renesmee? Was there anyone else?" I demanded.

"Quil . . ." Of course. Of course I couldn't be so lucky. More tears started to fall.

"What happened to him?"

"Quil was distracted, and a vampire got his hands on him. Quil got a mild concussion. He hit his head really hard. But don't worry Claire, he's fine. You'll see him tonight at the bonfire."

No, I needed to see Quil now.

"I'm on my way over," I said before hanging up. I flew out of my bedroom and down the hall. I grabbed Quil's keys off of the front table and ran out of the house without telling anyone where I was going.

I sped the entire way. _Fuck the speeding limit. _

When I got there, Jacob and Renesmee were sitting at the top of the steps. They looked over my way as I got out of the car. "Hey," I mumbled, knowing they could both hear me. I practically ran up the steps, only stopping when I noticed Jacob's arms.

I gasped. They were red and cut up, with sores all across the skin. "How did that happen?"

Renesmee just shook her head. I could tell she didn't want to talk about it. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at her husband's arms. "They aren't healing fast enough, something is wrong," her voice was choked with tears.

"Nessie, stop worrying about it. If you're alright, I'm alright," Jacob kissed her cheek.

"Is Quil inside?" I asked.

"Yeah, come on in," Collin said from inside the house. I hadn't been inside the Cullen house very much. Whenever I drove over here, Renesmee usually picked me up and we went to her and Jacob's house, which was deep in the woods. The inside of the Cullen house was grand, but I didn't bother to look at it once I got inside. I didn't look at any of the members of the Cullen family, (who I now knew were all vampires) and I didn't look at any of the other pack members. All I saw was Quil. He was in the corner of the open living room. I made a whimpering sound and ran in to his arms, tears falling from my eyes.

"Oh Claire," Quil breathed, squeezing me tightly before bringing his lips to mine.

"Are you okay?" I asked him once he released my lips, running my hands all over his beautiful face.

"I am now," He replied, kissing me on the forehead.

"No, I mean it. What hurts?"

"The accelerated healing has taken care of mostly everything. I just have a bit of a headache. Really, I'm okay, Claire. You make everything better."

"You didn't call," I accused after a few seconds. "I was so worried about you! Never do that to me again!"

"I'm sorry," He apologized in a genuine voice. "To be honest, Claire, I only woke up a little over an hour ago. I hit my head really hard."

Of course I forgave him. How could I ever be mad at Quil? "It's okay. You're alright, that's all that matters."

He kissed me again. It was a long, desperate, passionate kiss. My feet were dangling a couple of inches off the ground because Quil had brought me up face to face with him. But he held me to his body so tightly that there was no chance of me slipping.

After a minute, I heard someone clear their throat. My face turned red and I removed my mouth from Quil's. I had completely forgotten about the others in the room. Quil placed me back on the ground. I turned, trying to identify who the sound had come from. Most of the Cullens were in the room. Renesmee's parents, Edward and Bella, along with the patriarch of the family, Carlisle, his wife, Esme, and the little pixie, Alice with her mate, Jasper.

There was also a decent amount of the pack. Embry and Austin were on the long couch, with Brady and Collin sitting on chairs beside them. Mia was sitting on the stairs. Grayson and Leah were standing by the front door.

Everyone was silent, watching us. I felt suddenly self-conscious. I didn't mean to cause a scene, attention really wasn't my thing. That was more Eliza's cup of tea.

"Sorry," I apologized quietly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Dear," Esme smiled warmly.

"Quil _is _quite the charmer," Bella laughed. I wanted to disappear.

"Damn Claire, your face is _so_ red," Embry noted.

"Shut up," I groaned.

Quil leaned down and kissed my temple, "Let's go," He whispered in my ear. His warm breath sent a shiver down my spine. Oh god, how embarrassing.

Quil smiled. "I'll see you guys tonight for the bonfire," He said, holding me tightly as he led me out the front door. Jacob and Renesmee were basically trying to swallow each other's tongues when we got outside. His arms were wrapped around her and she was on his lap. They were so in to each other I doubt they even noticed us stepping around them and going down the deck stairs. Quil didn't let go of me until we reached his truck, I had left the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked. (Who would steal it here?)

Quil opened the passenger door and motioned for me to get in. "Are you sure you can drive?" I asked nervously.

"Yes, Claire. I'm fine. I really think you don't understand the concept of accelerated healing."

"You said yourself that you were blacked out for _hours_. Of course I'm going to worry about you, Baby."

"Well try not to," Quil said, starting the car. A smile lit his face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Oh nothing, I just think I liked hearing you call me Baby a little too much," He admitted.

I smiled, too. Quil started to drive down the winding path back to the highway.

The drive home was relatively silent, I was just happy that Quil was there. When he tried to drop me off at home, I refused to let him leave me and dragged him in after me.

Emily smiled at me when we came inside. "What did I tell you?" She said.

"I know, I know, you were right," I admitted.

And then we retreated to my room for a few hours of kissing.


	15. Fired Up

_Quil _

Me and Claire kissed more than we had ever kissed before. I simply wasn't able to keep my lips off of her. There was a time last night when I really worried that I would never see Claire again, but now those worries were gone.

Well not completely gone, (the vampires were still out there) but at least I had this time with her. I certainly wasn't wasting a minute of my precious time with Claire.

It was getting late, maybe close to dinnertime. We were laying on her bed, my arms wrapped tightly around her. Our lips were locked together. Claire's small hands were on either side of my head, holding me to her.

I pulled away briefly, allowing her to catch her breath. She smiled widely at me.

"I love you so much," I whispered, brushing my lips across her jaw.

"Mmm, I love you too," Claire replied.

"Good," I chuckled.

"Excellent," She replied.

"Wonderful," I countered back.

"Perfect," She smirked, pecking me on the lips.

"Well damn, you got me there," I admitted. It was quiet for a minute as we laid there, watching each other.

"I was so scared that you were dead," Claire said as tears formed in her eyes. "I don't know what I would have done if –" I interrupted her by pressing my lips to hers.

"Shh," I wiped the tears away. "I'm right here, Claire. Do you really think I would let myself die and leave you all alone?" The mental image of Mason marrying Claire popped back in my head, causing me to tighten my grip on her. "Do you think I'd let myself die and leave you with no protection?" My body started to shake at the thought of Mason trying to do things to her. "Do you think I'd leave you and let Mason try to win you over?"

Claire noticed my fury and stroked my face gently. "Calm down baby."

"You're _mine_," I kissed her forcefully. "I love you so fucking much Claire, I could never let that happen to you. I could never leave you." I kissed her hard again on the lips.

Now Claire was the one soothing me. She stroked my face and kissed me sweetly, telling me over and over that she loved me and would never love anyone else. We sat in silence for a while, just holding each other.

"How's your head Lover Boy?" Eliza asked as she opened the door and walked in to the room. I sat up, still holding Claire close to me.

"You never fail to stay updated," I commented.

"You're right, there."

"It's fine, thanks for asking. Is that all you needed?"

"Come on, you know me," She smirked. "We're leaving for the bonfire soon. Everyone is gonna be there. The rest of the pack, the old pack, their families, Annie, Renesmee, you and Claire, Lilly, and me of course," Eliza smiled. "I think even Amelia is allowed to come, since Sam and Emily are pretty sure she knows the truth anyways."

"Why so many?" Claire asked.

"There apparently hasn't been one since Danny and Mia phased, like five or six years ago. Even Lilly hasn't been to one, she just knows everything through Embry. And then Kim and Jared are coming so Lola can hear, and Paul and Rachel want to meet Mason," Eliza smirked when she said his name. I hated that little smirk. The smirk that always meant something devious was going on in Eliza's head.

"Why would anyone want to meet Mason?" I asked bitterly.

"Still not a fan I see," She commented.

"Oh, and you are?" I countered.

"The guy is a riot," Eliza defended.

"He's an ass hole," Claire frowned. Eliza just shrugged.

"Well anyways, like I said, we're leaving in a bit, so get your asses out of bed," She said before turning and walking out of the room.

"Such a sweet girl," Claire noted sarcastically. I laughed.

We ended up leaving a little bit after Claire's family. By the time we got to the beach, almost everyone was there. Eliza wasn't kidding, _everyone _was there_. _

Billy, Sue, and my grandfather sat beside each other on chairs with the rest of everyone sitting on logs. Kim and Jared were sitting by Sam and Emily and Paul and Rachel. (They were all best friends) Kim and Jared's four year old, Mark, was running around with Paul and Rachel's three year old, Corra. Kim and Jared's daughter, Lola was talking to Jamie. It sounded like she just couldn't believe that he phased. _Poor Jamie, this must be torture for him. Do Kim and Jared know that he's totally crushing on her? _Amelia was sitting beside Paul and Rachel's son, Tanner, who was almost six. Rachel had her baby boy, Will, wrapped in her arms.

Eliza was talking to Brady, but I could tell that she wasn't in to the conversation.

Lilly was fussing over Embry's nearly healed leg, constantly asking him if it hurt. I remembered Embry's thoughts about Lilly last night. What was it like for him now, being around Lilly after the whole pack saw how he felt about her?

Someone had convinced Sue's husband, (and Nessie's grandfather) Charlie to come. He had heard the stories once before, but really wasn't in to the whole werewolf thing.

Come to think of it, the only people who _were_ missing were Nessie, Jake, and Mason.

All of this went through my head as we approached the group. "There they are!" Embry hooted.

"We missed you, Claire!" Austin laughed.

"You can sit beside me, Claire!" Nolan patted the log beside him.

"Pshh! Why would Claire sit by you when she can sit by _Quil_!" Brady teased.

"Piss off," I grumbled, putting my arm around Claire's shoulder.

"Jeez Quil, you're so greedy. Come on, we'll share," Danny smirked.

"No thanks," I said. Me and Claire sat down beside Embry, Lilly, Brady, and Eliza.

"Can we start now?" Amelia asked impatiently.

"Not everyone is here yet," Emily answered.

"Come on, do you _really _think Jake and Nessie are coming?" Paul raised an eyebrow. Everyone knew how . . ._ passionate _the two were.

"Not a chance. They were practically doing it on the steps outside the Cullen's today," Collin exclaimed.

"Ugh! We are _not_ discussing that!" Charlie shuddered. Charlie hadn't been much of a Jacob fan since him and Renesmee got together. And he certainly didn't like the fact that they had sex multiple times a day.

"Sorry Charlie," Collin apologized. "But I'm just saying that they are probably fu–"

"Language!" Kim interrupted. "Mark is like a parrot these days." She nodded her head towards her son.

"They aren't the only one who aren't here yet," Eliza reminded.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's just them. Everyone else important is here. . ." Embry frowned.

"No, Eliza's right. Isn't one of the new wolves not here yet?" Sue asked.

"Like I said, Jake and Nessie are the only _important _people not here yet," Embry stated. Brady laughed.

"You're just too kind, Embry," Mason sauntered towards the group. _Does he just hide in the shadows waiting for the perfect time to pop up? _

_Claire_

I really just wished that Mason wouldn't have come. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the night having to deal with him. I just wanted to cuddle up in Quil's arms and listen to the story.

"Hi Mason," Sam greeted.

"Hey Sam," Mason replied, his eyes locked on me. I didn't like the way he looked at me. Couldn't he just understand that I loved Quil?

I cuddled in closer to Quil's body and refused to look at Mason. Instead, I focused my attention on Lilly, who was sitting to my left. Her and Annie seemed to be having a silent conversation. I remembered what Quil had told me about Annie the day he explained everything . . .

"Annie's power is similar to Edward's. But she doesn't read minds. She just kind of _looks_ at you and she knows all of these things about you. She's very . . . Insightful, I guess you could say. It's really creepy. She'll study you, and then she can tell you all of these things about yourself that you wish she didn't know. Like if you're lying, if you secretly hate someone, if you feel really guilty. She can't get the details, just the . . . impressions, I guess."

"And does it work on everyone?" I had asked him, totally enthralled.

"It takes practice, but yeah. She reads humans the easiest, because their minds are the simplest. But with werewolves and vampires it takes a little more effort."

I wondered what Annie was seeing as she watched Lilly. Could she so easily tell how Lilly felt about Embry? I didn't doubt it.

"Who's hungry?" Emily asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Me!" Most of the pack called out.

"What about you, Ann? Want a snack?" Embry teased.

"As a matter of fact . . . I do. Come here Lilly!" Annie retorted sarcastically. Mostly everyone laughed. Embry glared at her.

"Hey Annie?" Amelia asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" Annie turned to the small ten year old.

"You would never really eat Lilly, would you?"

"I don't know, she does smell pretty good," Annie answered. Amelia's eyes widened in horror. Annie laughed, "No Amelia, I would never eat Lilly. People aren't really my flavor of choice." Amelia sighed in relief.

"You're going to give the poor girl nightmares," Brady commented.

"Nah, I'm not scary," Annie waved her hand in the air, as if she was shooing away the possibility. "Unless I want to be," She said in a low voice, a devilish smirk on her face.

Hamburgers were passed around to everyone. I don't think any of the wolves chewed. Quil had three . . . Nolan had four . . . Austin had _five! _

_I swear, werewolves are bottomless pits. _

By the time nearly everyone was finished eating, Jake and Nessie finally showed up. They came and sat down beside our group.

"We thought you two decided not to come," Annie laughed.

"We were running late," Renesmee shrugged.

"Had to run some errands?" Nolan asked.

"Mmhm, errands," She smirked. Renesmee was far from shy.

"You want to come over tonight and run some errands with me?" Nolan asked hopefully.

"Yeah, no," Nessie shot him down harshly.

"Charlie!" Renesmee's face lit up when she noticed him.

"Hey Nessie," Charlie smiled. "How's everyone doing on your end of town?"

"Good," She answered vaguely. I let my eyes fall on Jacob's arms. They still weren't better. _What the hell? I thought werewolves were fast-healing. _

"Any news about your arms, Jake?" Quil asked, practically reading my mind. Jacob shook his head. There was an awkward silence.

"Well, Carlisle has a theory, doesn't he?" Annie asked.

"He has one . . ." Jacob answered.

"Carlisle thinks that maybe it could . . . I don't know, _release_ venom through its skin," Renesmee said.

"Venom?" Jamie asked.

"Vampire venom. It's what turns people in to vampires," Annie clarified.

"But it's poison for us," Leah added.

"That would explain why it's not healing," Lilly commented.

"But it _has _to heal eventually, right?" Jared asked.

Jacob shrugged.

"Can we change the subject please?" Renesmee asked, her voice sounding uneven, like she wanted to cry. I could relate. I certainly wouldn't want to be talking about this if it were _Quil_.

"We can do _whatever you want_, baby," Mason smirked. Well at least it was relieving to know that he was in to _all_ girls. He was just a pig.

Renesmee rolled her eyes. "You must be Mason?" She asked in an annoyed voice.

"The one and only," Mason smirked. Ugh, I _hated_ that smirk.

"Well don't you sound awfully proud," She commented.

"What would I have to be ashamed about?"

"The fact that Claire is totally choosing Quil over you," I heard Embry mumble from the other side of Lilly. Mason glared at him. I frowned. Couldn't we _not _bring that up?

I saw Mason's lips move as he said something to Embry, something so quiet that I couldn't hear. Embry growled, so I assumed whatever Mason said wasn't friendly.

_Quil_

"Well don't you sound awfully proud," Nessie commented.

"What would I have to be ashamed about?"

"The fact that Claire is totally choosing Quil over you," Embry mumbled.

"Watch what you say, pedophile," Mason said under his breath. Embry growled at him, his body shaking lightly.

"And again, topic change," Mia said.

"I'm going to get Claire's bedroom when her an Quil get married!" Amelia announced excitedly. Claire hit her forehead with the palm of her hand as several people started laughing.

"Oh really?" Paul asked Amelia, his eyes on me. There was a little smirk on his face. Back when Paul was a wolf, he simply _loved _teasing me and Jake because of our under-aged imprints.

Amelia nodded enthusiastically. "That's why they need to get married soon."

Most of the group was looking at me and Claire now, amused smiles on their faces. _God, please kill me now. _

"What else do you have to tell us about Quil and Claire, Melia?" Rachel chuckled.

"They're gross! I walked in to the kitchen yesterday and they were _kissing! _And Claire was on Quil's lap and _everything!_" I caught my grandfather's eyes from across the circle, he was trying not to laugh. This was humiliating.

"Okay Melia, sharing time is over," Claire announced, her face was completely red. My poor baby was all embarrassed.

"But I like this topic!" Austin chuckled.

"Too bad," I said stiffly.

"It is _too_ easy to embarrass you guys," Brady laughed. I watched him scoot a centimeter closer to Eliza when she wasn't looking. _Ew. _

"You know who else it is easy to embarrass?" Leah smirked, her eyes drifting off to her little brother. "So why weren't you guys at the house today?"

"Fuck you," Seth mumbled, his face turning dark red. Seth wasn't really one to talk about his sex life. We all knew that he got lucky on a daily basis, (Usually more than once a day, actually) but Seth didn't like that we knew all of his most intimate thoughts with Annie. Of course, we didn't necessarily _want _to see them, but that made no difference.

"Me? I was under the impression that you did that to _her_ . . ." Leah laughed.

"You're such a bitch Leah," He said quietly. I was surprised when I heard the smallest of growls coming from Grayson. What the hell? No one else was paying attention. (They had all moved on to messing with Seth.)

Something was seriously up with him. But wouldn't we have seen if something was different? He was so good at controlling his thoughts and emotions . . .

Annie broke in to a fit of giggles, peeking in Grayson's direction. "No way!" She continued giggling.

_So she notices something too? _

"Annie?" Seth asked uncertainly, probably wondering if she had gone off the deep end. "Are you okay . . . ?"

She just laughed harder, if she could cry, she'd probably have tears in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine it's just . . . oh my God! I can't say anything, he'd kill me!" She said in between laughing fits.

"Do you know something we don't?" Collin asked, clearly curious.

"I can't say anything, I value my life!" She finally stopped laughing. "Oh my God, it's such a soap opera around here," She giggled to herself quietly.

"It must suck to know so much and have to keep it a secret," Mason said. "Why don't you tell me? I'm trustworthy," He had that evil smirk on his stupid face.

"Not the best idea. One, if you knew, the whole pack would know, too. And two, you aren't the type to keep secrets. If I told you a single thing you would throw it in that person's face, like you've been doing since you phased. And you can't argue with me, because I'm right." _Yes! Read Mason! Understand what an ass he is! _

"Talented little thing, aren't you?" He asked casually.

"Don't get her started, or she will feel the need to tell you everything about yourself, in front of everyone, and give details," Rachel warned. _Oh yeah, I remember that day. Ha, poor Rachel. _

"Speaking of getting started," Billy said, "I think it's about time to begin."

"Please respect the histories of the tribe. During the story there will be no whispering, no inappropriate touching, and no kissing, got it?" Sue asked. We all turned to Jacob and Renesmee, who had at some point over the years done all three.

"Hey, why are you all looking at us?" Nessie frowned.

"Maybe you _shouldn't _be sitting on Jake's lap and straddling him," Jared suggested teasingly.

All Renesmee did was turn her body around so her back was pressed to his stomach and set her legs on the ground. Jake wrapped his burnt arms around her.

"Satisfied?" Jacob asked.

"Just behave yourselves," Jared chuckled.

Claire cuddled closer to me. Was the log uncomfortable for her to sit on? Was she cold? Was she tired? Was the smoke burning her eyes? I couldn't help but worry about my Claire. Someone as perfect as her always deserved to be in perfect condition.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked her as everyone got ready to listen to the story.

"No," She admitted. A panicked look landed on my face and she giggled.

"I'd be more comfortable in your arms," She whispered to me, a shy smile on her face. I smiled widely and grabbed her, lifting her off of log and placing her small body on my lap. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, and she cuddled even closer to me. I noticed Mason watching us. I shot him a look that clearly said _fuck you._

"Hmm, maybe we should be looking at Quil and Claire instead," Nolan chuckled.

I wasn't paying attention at all throughout the story. Brady was watching Eliza with hearts in his eyes, but Eliza was too fixated on Mason to notice. And Mason was too busy watching Claire to notice Eliza watching him.

Mason could go after any girl! I would rather him go after anyone but my Claire. He could go after Nessie, or Annie, or Leah, or Mia, hell, he could go after Emily! Anyone but Claire.

_Oh great, when Jake finds out what I said about Renesmee, I'm a dead man. _

At least Claire didn't notice that Mason was staring at her . . . She was completely absorbed in the story.

When the story was finished, Jacob stood up and motioned for Mason to follow. Mason hesitantly got up and walked behind him as Jacob approached my grandpa.

"Umm, Old Quil, I'd like you to meet Mason Ateara, he's kind of your grandson."

I wasn't sure who looked more surprised to see the other.

"Clarice's kid?" He asked in disbelief.

"Umm, yeah," Mason answered uncomfortably. _Why the hell do I have to be related to this dick?_ _Why does he have to have _my_ grandfather? Is he going to try and steal my mom next? _

"Oh, how is she?" Grandpa asked awkwardly.

"She's been pretty messed up since my dad died," Mason shrugged.

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss."

"I'm not," Mason replied in a bitter voice. Was it possible that Mason hated his dad more than he hated me?

There was an awkward silence. Claire's breathing was even, and I knew she must have fallen asleep.

"I better get going," Mason mumbled, turning and leaving without any more words. Others started to say their goodbyes as well. Paul and Rachel left with their kids first. Then Jared and Kim left with Mark and Lola. Jamie watched Lola as she left. Once she was gone, he said goodbye to Nolan and left too.

"We're going to head home," Sue announced, saying goodnight to Seth and Leah. Renesmee gave Charlie a kiss on the cheek. He looked surprised at first, but then smiled and him and Sue left.

Collin, who helped Billy out now that Jake was always with Nessie said he'd see everyone later and started to wheel Billy away.

Grandpa walked over to me. "She's a great girl, Quil," He smiled down at Claire.

"I know," I responded, squeezing Claire's sleeping body gently.

"I'm going home, but you two come visit me sometime, kay?"

"Sure," I smiled.

After he left, Sam and Emily followed with Amelia, telling Eliza to be home by eleven. They never said anything to me about Claire.

"You up for a late night swim?" Eliza asked Lilly mischievously.

"Sure," Lilly giggled.

"Ooh, are you guys going skinny dipping?" Brady asked.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know?" Eliza laughed.

"No, that's gross," Lilly answered him and then giggled. There was a moment of silence.

"You should come swimming, too, Brady. It'll be fun!" Lilly said enthusiastically. _Oh, so she was working with Brady? Evil! _

"You should come too, Embry," Eliza responded, a sly smile on her face.

"Okay," Embry answered at the same time as Brady went "Hell yeah." Eliza and Lilly ran off to Eliza's house to grab bathing suits.

Most of the pack was cleared out by now. Jacob and Nessie went home for more sex, Danny and Mia left too, and Grayson left right after Leah had.

Seth, Annie, Nolan, Brady, Austin, Embry and me and Claire were the only ones left at the fire.

"Well I guess you guys have to go get your bikini's too?" Seth smirked.

"Shut up," Embry groaned.

"Good thing it will be dark, Lilly would be quite uncomfortable if she saw the massive hard-on she's gonna give you," Nolan laughed. Embry growled.

"Embry? What about Brady! Eliza in a bikini? That's his fantasy!" I said. My body shook with laughter, causing Claire to wake up.

"Oh, sorry baby, I didn't mean to wake you," I apologized.

"It's okay," She said, looking around. "Whoa, where did everyone go?"

"Well Lilly and Eliza are putting on their bathing suits and going swimming with Brady and Embry," Annie giggled.

"Oh God."

"Everyone else went home," I added. "Are you still tired, do you want me to take you home?"

She turned around to face me, biting back a smile and shaking her head no.

"Well then wha–" I was cut off when she smashed her lips against mine. My mouth opened instantly and let her in. Her legs were wrapped around me now, and I had one hand on the small of her back and the other one knotted in her silky black hair.

"Get a room," Austin said.

"Okay," I shrugged, keeping my mouth inches from Claire's. "You ready to leave?" I whispered in her ear. She nodded.

I scooped Claire up in my arms, making sure she kept her legs tightly around me.

"I'm going to be home later, so no fucking," Embry ordered. "I mean it."

I kissed Claire as I sped through the night. It had been my intention to bring Claire home and put her to bed, but somehow we ended up at _my_ house, and Claire was in _my_ bed. We were kissing in silence for about half an hour.

"I'm so happy you're a werewolf, Quil," Claire admitted in between kisses.

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

She nodded. "If you weren't a werewolf, you'd be thirty years old and probably be married with children.

The very possibility of that made me pull Claire closer to me and practically plunge my tongue down her throat. "You're the only person I could ever love that way," I told her after finally pulling away. "Whether I was a werewolf or not."

"You don't know that," She mumbled.

"Yes, I do. You're my soul mate. I don't care if I didn't imprint and was fourteen years older than you, I could never _not_ love you. It's a fact," I told her.

She didn't have time to respond because I brought my lips to hers again. My hands were knotted in her now, forbidding any form of escape. I kissed her hungrily, almost animalistic in my actions.

Claire reacted to this by momentarily breaking the kiss to pull my shirt over my head and throw it across the room. Her fingers explored the hot skin of my chest while I kissed down her neck.

"Quil," She moaned when I began to suck on a patch of skin on her neck. I wanted to tell her how much I love it when she moaned my name, but just couldn't bring myself to stop sucking on her beautiful neck.

"I want you," She moaned in my ear. Those three little words turned me on faster than I would have thought possible. Claire's shirt was off two seconds later, her pants already laying in a pile on the ground. Today Claire's underwear were plain, and she wasn't wearing a bra at all.

_Fuck she's sexy._

Claire flung herself at me, her lips desperate on mine. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me. Her hard nipples pressed against my chest as our tongues continued to attack each other.

I still had trouble believing that everything was actually _real_. Surely, I was dreaming. There was no way the most amazing girl in the world was kissing me. There was no way she wanted me like I wanted her. I wasn't worthy of being in her presence. She was an angel, a queen, a goddess, she was _Claire_.

_I am the luckiest son of a bitch in the world,_ I thought.

I grabbed Claire's hips and moved them on top of me, grinding her against my erection. "Oh God," I moaned in to Claire's mouth.

"Take your pants off, Quil," She ordered quietly.

"You do it," I replied. Claire let her small hands fall down to the waist of my jeans. She quickly found the button and undid it and started tugging on the jeans, not even bothering with the zipper.

"What did I say about fucking?" Embry scolded, I heard the back door swing open.

"You're supposed to be at the beach ogling fourteen year old girls," I groaned.

"Fuck you man! I'm home now." I heard his heavy footsteps as he walked down the hall to his room.

"Go swimming again." I said.

"No, I'm tired, and I don't feel like having you guys keep me up all night."

"Sleep at Collin and Brady's or something," I offered in a frustrated voice.

"No, this is _my_ house, not Claire's. And besides, I rank above you Quil, you can't order me around."

"Are we really playing the 'who ranks above who' game?" Claire asked.

"No, we're playing the 'I'm going to bed' game," Embry replied. "I suggest you guys do too or I'll kick you both out."

I heard the sound of Embry's sopping shorts hit the ground and the impact of his skin hitting the mattress.

"Do you want me to take you home?" I sighed in disappointment, looking down at my practically naked Claire.

"Actually, I was kind of wondering if I could maybe stay with you tonight?" Claire whispered uncertainly. I smiled widely and gave her a quick excited kiss.

"Yes, you definitely can." I kissed her sweetly again, laying us down on top of my bed.

"Hmm," Claire hummed.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"It's just . . . I don't really want to sleep in my jeans, and I don't have any pajamas. Even if I did, sleeping beside you is just so hot . . ." A mischievous smile danced across her face as she crawled in to bed wearing nothing but her panties.

"Oh God, you're trying to kill me, aren't you?" I asked. She giggled and motioned for me to join her. Once I was under the thin blanket, Claire snuggled right up to me and draped one leg over my torso.

How was I expected to sleep with the world's most amazing girl cuddled up to me wearing nothing but her underwear?

"I love you, Quil. So much . . ." She whispered.

_Definitely not getting any sleep tonight. _

"I love you too, Claire," I kissed her softly on the forehead. Already her eyes were slipping closed.

"Quil," She whispered under her breath before falling in to a heavy sleep.

**Author's Note: (IMPORTANT) Okay guys, firstly, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Now that school is starting back up, they won't be coming as quickly. I've started to write the 2****nd**** out of three of my twilight stories I am planning to post. The story right now is going to be titled, Eliza: It's not easy knowing everything. But what you need to know is that Eliza takes place DURING Quil and Claire. At the end of each QC/Eliza chapter I will be saying either "Next is a QC chapter" or "Next is an Eliza chapter" The chapters will be posted in chronological order. You do not HAVE to read Eliza's story, but it is recommended, and I can promise it will be full of laughs and angst. Eliza ch. 1 coming up next followed by QC ch. 16**


	16. Letters

_Claire_

I woke up late the next morning happy as could be. I was in Quil's room, in Quil's bed, and in Quil's arms. What more could a girl want?

"Good morning," I whispered in his ear before kissing him on the lips. His eyes shot open.

"That's one way to wake you up in the morning," I giggled.

"I could _really _get used to waking up to you," Quil smirked.

"The feeling is mutual," I mumbled, pressing my lips against his once again.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked me.

"You mean you don't have any werewolf duties today?" I asked hopefully.

"Not that I know of," He smiled, pulling me tighter against him.

"Well, let's start with me running home and changing clothes."

Quil dropped me off at home and then said something about driving in to Forks to go get doughnuts.

Emily was inside, coffee in one hand, and a book in the other. She looked up when I walked in and smiled.

"Well if that isn't my niece," She said.

"Hey Auntie Emily," I said shyly, my face turning red. "Um, sorry I never called you or anything, I was, um, at Quil's house," I admitted.

"I know, and it's okay. You feel like you can't be away from him, and even if you could be, you wouldn't want to be," She explained. I nodded. "I've already told Quil that it is okay for you to stay there whenever you like."

I smiled and went over to her to give her a hug. "You're the best, Auntie Emily."

"I wouldn't say I'm the best . . . But I'm probably the most understanding," She laughed lightly, squeezing me gently and then releasing me.

When I pulled away, she looked conflicted about something. She opened her mouth to speak, but then changed her mind and closed it again.

"What is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"Um, well, I'm not trying to be nosy or anything but . . . have you . . . did you and Quil . . . are you . . ." She struggled over her words. "Oh, you know what I'm asking."

And I _did _know. "No. We didn't do _that_ yet . . ." I answered, embarrassed to be talking about my sex life.

Emily looked relieved. "Good."

"But Quil told me that you said–"

"I'm not opposed to you being . . ." She struggled over the word, "_Intimate_ with him, but I was hoping you could wait until I get you on some birth control," Emily clarified, slightly embarrassed herself.

"Oh, yeah, okay," I blushed even more.

"I'll set up an appointment," She nodded awkwardly. I didn't say anything else and walked in to my room.

"Oh my god!" I jumped. Eliza was sitting there on the edge of my bed, legs crossed, filing her nails.

"Hey," She said casually.

"What do you want?" She always wanted something . . .

"Oh, not much really. I'm just bored."

"Get out," I said, pointing at the door.

"Close the door, it's hard enough to get some privacy in this house," Eliza ignored my order.

I groaned and shut the door behind me, walking a few steps closer to her.

"So how was the beach last night?" I asked, trying to avoid whatever it was she was planning to talk about.

Eliza made a face. I couldn't put my finger on the expression she made. "It was fine," She shrugged, composing herself quickly.

I decided to let it slide. I was probably seeing things.

"So you and Quil haven't done the dirty yet?" She smirked.

"Shut up," I mumbled at her.

"It's been what, three days? Jake and Vampy fucked like, ten minutes after he told her."

"Well that's them," I tried to keep my voice even. Eliza didn't need to know about whether I was having sex or not.

"So is Quil just chickening out? You've had plenty of opportunities . . ."

"One, mind your own business. And two, if you really must know, every time we try we get interrupted," I told her in a snappish voice.

"Someone is grumpy this morning, did you not get a good sleep? I can't imagine how you couldn't sleep well in your precious boyfriend's arms," Eliza commented, almost sounding bitter.

"Really Liza, just go away."

"But I'm bored," Eliza complained.

"Then go see Lilly," I said. A slight grimace danced across her face.

"She's busy today," Eliza mumbled.

"Then hang out with Brady or someone," I offered impatiently.

Eliza made that face again. And still, I couldn't really tell what was going on with her.

"Why would I do _that_?" She answered sharply.

"I dunno," I shrugged. "You guys hung out last night, right? I just figured you were friends."

"Well we aren't," Eliza mumbled, pushing past me and exiting my room, practically slamming the door behind her.

_What the hell? _Something was going on with her . . . I made a mental note to ask her about it later.

Then something caught my eye. A white envelope sat on my dresser. I walked over to it and examined it for a moment. There was no name or return address, and the envelope was sealed shut.

I flipped it over in my hands and gently opened it. Inside was a piece of paper, a note written on it in sloppy script.

_Claire, _It read.

_Why are you ignoring me? Did I do something to make you mad? Do you think your little boyfriend would let me talk to you alone for five minutes? If not, do it anyway. I need to see you. -Mason_

I frowned at the note in my hands. He could go to hell for all I cared. The paper made a very satisfying tearing noise as I ripped it in half, dropping the remains heartlessly in the trash.

_Quil_

It was shifting in to afternoon. Claire and I had eaten and were sitting and watching TV in the living room. Embry was gone, but because of the promise Claire made Emily, sex was not an option.

"So then what do you want to do?" I asked Claire, kissing her softly. _Would I ever get tired of kissing her?_

"We could watch a movie I guess," She shrugged.

"Okay, you pick," I told her.

She hopped off of the couch and to the television, scanning through the movies. After a minute she pulled one out and stole the disk from inside the case. She popped it in and then returned to the couch and cuddled close to me.

"What movie did you pick?" I asked her, kissing her again simply because I could.

"You'll see," She giggled.

When the movie came up to the play menu, I laughed. "Prom Night?"

"I figured watching it again may totally change my perspective of the movie," Claire smirked, laying back on the couch and pulling me down on top of her.

Our lips met passionately as the opening credits started.

"I think you may be right," I mumbled in to her mouth.

If possible, I paid even _less _attention to the movie than I did last time. Me and Claire kissed through the entire first half of the movie.

We would have probably kissed right through the second half too, if the opening of the front door didn't interrupt us. I pulled away from Claire instantly, getting off of her and sitting down regularly on the couch in record time. And good thing too, because it wasn't just one of the guys dropping in to say hi.

It was my mother.

I never saw her much. She rarely came over, and I _certainly_ never went to see her. Our relationship had been rough ever since I became a werewolf and imprinted on Claire. My mom didn't believe in imprinting. She thought it was stupid and wanted me to stop phasing, forget about Claire, and fall in love the real way.

So I guess you could say that I hated my mom . . .

"Hi Quil," Mom smiled. "Claire," She nodded at Claire, trying to hide her disdain.

"Hello Joy," Claire smiled awkwardly. Claire wasn't stupid, she knew how my mother felt about her. But she had never really understood why. Still, she tried her hardest to get Mom to like her.

"Still hanging out with my son, I see," Mom noted bitterly. I bit back a growl.

"What do you want, Mom?" I asked her impatiently.

"Your grandfather said you got hurt the other day, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You wanting to make sure I'm okay? There's a first," I mused.

"Well I am your mother, Quil," She reminded me. I just nodded. The black girl in the movie whose name I had forgotten screamed, breaking the silence. Claire reached for the remote and pressed mute.

"So Claire," Mom began, "You're fourteen now, right?"

"Sixteen actually," Claire responded politely. She really was so much sweeter towards my mom than she deserved.

"Oh, so how are things with you?" I could tell that Mom was trying to be nice to her, but it was really forced.

"Fine, just enjoying summer vacation."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" She shot a glance my way.

"Yes, actually, I do," Claire smiled slightly.

Mom looked excited. "Oh really, that's nice. Is it a boy from school?"

"No," Claire answered, peeking at me nervously.

"Does he live in La Push?"

"Yes."

"Is it anyone that I would know, what's his name?"

"It's me, Mom," I replied in an irritated voice.

"Oh," Her smile disappeared. In fact, she looked downright upset. "Quil, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

"I'll be outside," Claire announced, pecking me on the cheek, skirting around my mom, and heading out the front door. The second it shut behind her, my mom went off.

"What the hell, Quil? Do you let everything I tell you go in one ear and out the other? This imprint thing is ridiculous! One of these days you are going to wake up and realize that the only reason you like Claire is because some weird magical force is making you and that you and you actually don't have anything in common," She was practically shouting.

I had never wanted so badly to shove my mother through a wall. "It is _not_ ridiculous. How can I make you understand, Mom? I don't simply _like_ Claire, I love her. I love her so much! More than anything. She is beautiful and caring and loving and sweet and smart and funny and witty and brave and loyal and she is my _soul mate_. She is my whole world!"

"But– but don't you ever wonder what it would be like if you just let her go?"

"Terrible," I answered back instantly.

"You don't know that . . ."

"Yes. I. Do." I said through my teeth. "I love her, Mom. And it just so happens that she loves me. I am never going to let her go. Never. I am going to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her and if you can't except that then you can just butt out."

"She doesn't even know the truth about you."

"Yes, she does, actually. She knows everything."

"Oh," Was all she said.

"Just give her a chance, Mom. Please!" I begged. "She is the most amazing girl in the entire world, I swear! You just need to get to know her! Can't you see that she knows how you feel about her? That doesn't stop her from being nothing but polite to you, all the time. She wants you to like her. After all, you _are _her future mother-in-law."

"You really plan on marrying her?"

"Yes, I am. We've already talked about it."

"How long have you two even been dating?"

"Four days," I admitted, knowing instantly what her reaction would be.

"You have already talked about marriage after four days!"

"You don't understand, Mom."

"You're right, I don't."

"Just _try _to get to know her. Go out for lunch, drive down to Port Angeles. Something! Please. Do it for me."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine."

_Claire _

Why had I agreed to this? I wanted Joy to like me, I really did, but still . . .

Quil had the day off, and now here I was, spending it with his mother who hated me when I could have been spending it in his arms.

We were nearing Port Angeles, where we would have a "fun" girls afternoon.

"Look, I don't want to do this, and you don't want to do this, but we're doing it for Quil," Joy said.

"I want to do this," I defended weakly.

"Then why do you look so miserable?" Joy countered.

"I– I just miss Quil, that's all," I admitted in a small voice.

Joy made a disgusted sound and rolled her eyes. Neither of us spoke for a minute. "And you're completely okay with the fact that he's a werewolf?"

"Yeah, I am, actually. I mean, it sucks because he's gone a lot and I worry about him like crazy, but I'm afraid for him, not _of_ him, if that's what you're asking. I always knew there was something different about him."

Joy didn't seem sure how to react to that. I guess my answer surprised her. "And you aren't mad that he didn't tell you sooner?"

Why was she interrogating me? "I _was_ mad. But he had his reasons not to tell me and I forgive him. I know now, that's all that matters."

She nodded. "And–"

"What did I do to make you not like me?" I blurted out.

"What?" Joy asked.

"I wanted to know why you don't like me," I repeated.

Joy hesitated before answering. "It's not that I don't like you as a person. It's just that I don't support imprinting. I want my son to fall in love the regular way. But with you around, Quil can't even _look_ at another girl."

I wanted to get out of the car. _She doesn't like me because Quil imprinted on me?_ I would have rather her said that she thought I was a bitch or something. It wasn't my fault that Quil and I were in love. It wasn't Quil's fault either. Couldn't she just be happy for her son?

I was too mad to speak. In fact, I didn't speak to her until we reached the restaurant where we were going to eat lunch.

"Do you like seafood?" Joy asked.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

Once we were seated, the questions continued, but they were no longer about Quil. "What's your favorite color?"

"Red," I told her. Red had never been my favorite color before . . . But Quil liked when I wore red. _Quil._ I wished he was here right now, squeezing my hand.

"Favorite season?"

"Summer," It was when I could spend time with Quil without worrying about school.

"Favorite movie?"

"Prom Night," Another lie. From what I had seen of the movie, it was really pretty horrible. But Quil had almost kissed me for the first time while watching that movie.

"Favorite food?"

"Chocolate," It was the color of Quil's fur.

"Chocolate is a candy, not a food," Joy commented.

"Why are you so curious anyways?" I asked, trying to sound polite rather than annoyed.

"I'm just trying to get to know you."

After a question filled lunch, we walked around the boardwalk.

The sun broke through the clouds, warming my skin as I devoured an ice cream. Joy and me had started to get along a little better as the day went on. She wasn't as amazing as Quil, but I was still having a nice day.

"Claire?" A voice behind me asked in surprise.

_And there goes my nice day . . . _

He was right behind me, but I refused to turn and acknowledge him. "Claire?" He tried again, tapping me on the back.

"Claire, someone is trying to get your attention," Joy told me.

I groaned and turned to face him.

"Hey, funny running in to you here," Mason said.

"I'm not laughing," I commented, narrowing my eyes at him. "Did you follow me here?"

He ignored my question. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"No," I replied simply.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Joy asked.

"Joy this is Mason, Mason, this is Quil's mom, Joy," I introduced them in an annoyed voice.

"How do you two know each other?" Joy asked.

"We met a couple of days ago at the cemetery," Mason said at the same time that I said "He's one of the new pack members."

Joy looked confused.

"Well, we met at the graveyard, but that's irrelevant," I explained.

"I see," Joy nodded.

"I've been trying to talk to you," Mason reached out for me.

"Well I have nothing to say," I replied.

"But _I _do," Mason said.

"I'll, um, just leave you two to talk. I'll be in the book store across the street, okay Claire?" She turned and left.

_Not okay! Not okay! Not okay! Don't leave me with Mason! _

I tried to follow after her, but Mason reached out and grabbed my wrist. "_Please _Claire."

"Fine," I mumbled.

"Let's talk on the beach. Don't want to be throwing the W word around in public, people will think we're crazy," Mason led me across the street to the water. This area of the beach was fairly empty.

"Did you get my letter?" He asked.

"Yes," I said dully.

"And?"

"And I read it, then threw it away."

"Don't girls like letters?" Mason sounded confused.

"Sure, it's a sweet sentiment. But here's the thing, I don't like you. Not like that. I don't know any other way to get this in to your head. Quil is my boyfriend. I love Quil. I barely know you."

Mason didn't get discouraged in the least. "Then _get_ to know me."

"Honestly, from what I've seen of you, I don't think I want to."

"You haven't really seen me, though. It's like you're wearing special Quil prescription glasses."

"It's called imprinting, I don't think you get it."

"You didn't either when I met you."

"Yes, but I still felt the same way about Quil."

"You think that you love him, but you don't. Imprinting isn't real love. It's mating. The only reason Quil loves you is because some magical force is making him. He doesn't love you for who you are, but because you are the best possible mate for him to pass on the wolf gene," Mason said harshly. I didn't respond.

I didn't want to think about that. Quil loved me, and that was all that mattered, right?

But Mason knew what my silence meant. "I think I understand imprinting a little better than you give me credit for."

"I don't care what you think. Because you know what? Quil and I were made for each other and we're going to love each other for the rest of our lives."

"Correction, the rest of _your _life. Unless you planned on becoming a vampire?"

"Quil's going to stop phasing eventually," I stated, trying to sound confidant. Of course he would grow old with me, werewolves can't bare to live after their imprints die.

"You discussed this?"

"Well, no but–"

"Quil seems to really enjoy being a werewolf. He may not want to give that up."

"Oh, and you're saying that you would?" I snapped.

"Yes, I am. What would I be missing? Immortality? Who wants to live forever? I, personally, don't want to be around for the zombie apocalypse."

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes, biting back a smile.

"What I'm trying to say is . . . if you could give me a chance . . . I could care about you that way, too."

_Fuck, and I had really hoped he just gawked at all girls. _

"No," I said pointedly.

"Quil doesn't deserve you."

"And what have you done so far? Constantly tear down my boyfriend, who is also my _best friend_, mess around with Embry about Lilly, which is _so _not cool, and slyly try to swoop in and steal me away?" I countered, not caring how harsh my words came out. "Just leave me alone! Go find someone who isn't already in love."

With that I got up and walked quickly back towards where Joy was. Mason, of course, followed right behind me.

"Why are you so stubborn?" He half yelled.

"I could ask you the same question!" I hissed back, not turning to look at him. "Go home, Mason! And stop following me! Quil is going to kick your ass."

"Oh, the always hollow my-boyfriend-is-going-to-beat-you-up threat. I'm really afraid of the wrath of Princess."

I just rolled my eyes and tried to enter the bookstore. Mason grabbed my wrist though, forbidding me from getting away. "Let _go_ of me," I ordered through my teeth.

"Claire?" I heard a familiar worried voice. Paul Lahote was walking out of the bookstore with his daughter, Cora. "What is going on here?" He asked in a sharp voice, like a teacher who had caught a student misbehaving.

"He won't leave me alone!" I told him. Paul narrowed her eyes at Mason.

"Newbie, I think you really ought to get out of here. I don't take well to people messing with imprints."

Mason stood his ground. "We're in public. What're you going to do without getting arrested?"

"Let go of her or I'll get _you _arrested," Paul replied.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time," Mason shrugged. _Of course._

"Um, is something going on?" This way Joy now, walking out of the store after apparently noticing us.

"No, nothing," Mason said, turning and walking away like nothing happened. Apparently, Mr. Jerk only liked to show his true colors to _some _people.

"I can't believe him!" Paul growled, checking my wrist delicately for any bruising.

"He's delusional!" I said.

"He's dangerous," Paul added.

"He's mean," Cora chirped.

"I'm not quite sure what I'm missing," Joy frowned.

"Well, Joy, allow me to fill you in. Mason likes Claire and is trying to steal her away from your son," Paul said rudely, getting right to the point.

"Well, maybe you should give that Mason boy a chance," Joy shrugged. Both Paul and I stared at her in open-mouthed shock.

I didn't speak to Joy for the rest of our trip . . .

**Author's Note: Yes, I know it was a long wait and this chapter wasn't the best, forgive me. The story is slow right now, but I swear it will be picking up soon. I started school this week, though, so the chapters won't be coming as quickly as they did over the summer. (Yes, I'm a student) I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be an Eliza one. If you haven't read the first chapter of her story yet, GO DO IT NOW! **


	17. Eliza: Seven Little Words

**Author's Note: So I decided to combine Eliza's story with Quil and Claire. The stories cross over anyways. This is the first chapter of Eliza for anyone who hasn't read it yet. It takes place after the bonfire. The next chapter I post will also be Eliza, and it takes place right after chapter 16, Letters. The new chapter of Quil and Claire will be up soon! **

It all began with those seven little words.

"You up for a late night swim?" I asked Lilly, a mischievous smile on my face.

"Sure," Lilly replied, an equal look of mystery on her face. She wasn't half as wild as me, of course, but I loved her all the same.

"Ooh, are you guys going skinny dipping?" Brady asked with a pervy smile on his face.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I gave my patent Eliza smirk.

"No, that's gross," Lilly answered him. There was a moment of silence.

"You should come swimming, too, Brady. It'll be fun!" Lilly said enthusiastically.

Inviting boys? Fun! But inviting Brady? Why Brady? He was funny, and a trouble maker, but there were better guys to invite. _Too bad Mason left. _

Well, if we were going to invite boys, might as well make this somewhat entertaining. And what was more fun than watching a werewolf squirm?

"You should come too, Embry." Of course he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to be with Lilly. It may have been somewhat devious, but not cruel. I was _never _cruel.

"Okay," Embry replied at the same time that Brady said, "Hell yeah!"

"Be back in fifteen, we gotta run and change," I announced, grabbing Lilly's sleeve and running off. She followed behind me as we raced across the short distance to my house. We always raced.

Lilly beat me. "Whore," I shoved her playfully.

"Jealous," she accused, shoving me back. We both laughed and made our way through the door and down the hall.

"Back already?" Emily's voice floated from her room down the hall.

"Nah, me and Lilly are gonna go for a late night swim," I replied.

"Hey, Mrs. Uley," Lilly called.

"Hi Lilly," Emily replied. "You girls be careful, okay?"

"We promise," I assured her. When we got in to my room, Amelia was laying on her bed reading some book.

"I want to go swimming," She whined.

"No," I said firmly, heading over to my dresser and opening the swimsuit drawer.

"Lucky we're the same size," I said to Lilly as she kneeled beside me.

"Which one are you gonna wear?" Lilly asked me. I sifted through the drawer before pulling out a charcoal gray bikini top and holding it out to her.

"You like?" I asked. She nodded. I fished out the bottoms and then helped Lilly choose one. She went with a navy blue that was the exact same color as her eyes. I had never seen anyone with eyes a darker blue than hers.

"Hmm, that one is kind of skimpy, trying to look hot for someone?" I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What?" Lilly asked quickly, her face turning pink. "No, I just like it."

Something was going on with her, but I let it go. If she didn't want to tell me, I wouldn't force her. Lilly was the one person who I didn't floor for information.

We put on cover-ups once we changed and headed out. It was a beautiful night, not _too _cold. The water probably would be, but when was is not?

"So what's up with you inviting Brady?" I asked.

"I just figured it would be fun. You always say that boys make things more fun," She shrugged.

"Do you _like _him?" I couldn't see that. Lilly and Brady? Ew. Never. No way. She wasn't his type.

"No! Yuck!" Lilly squealed. "He's just fun. And actually, I think he likes _you_ . . ."

I was so relieved to hear she wasn't interested in him. The thought of them together just felt wrong. Because she belonged to Embry . . . And Brady belonged to– Well no one?

But I definitely didn't believe that he liked me. There wasn't much about me _to_ like. Yes, I was hot, but there's a difference between being physically attracted to someone and liking them.

"Nah, if anything, he wants to get in my pants."

Lilly laughed.

When we returned to the beach, everyone had cleared out except Brady and Embry, who were still in their shorts. The fire was basically dead now, just small flames and red-hot burning embers. Someone must have doused it.

"It's so pretty tonight," Lilly gushed, pulling her cover over her head and walking down the beach to the water.

I snuck a peek at Embry. His eyes were glued to Lilly's body.

"You're drooling, Call," I breathed, knowing perfectly well that he could here me, "Oh, and Lilly plus bikini equals you owing me big time."

Then I shed my cover-up too and ran after Lilly. Brady flew past me and splashed in to the water.

"I'm faster than you!" He laughed and turned to face me.

"No shit! You're a werewolf, if I was faster than you, something would be terribly wrong with me," I hesitantly dipped a toe in the water and squealed. "Ahh! It's cold."

"Come on, you'll get used to it," Lilly – who was now thigh-deep in the water – said.

"Can't take the cold?" Embry teased, walking past me and straight in to the water without even flinching.

"Not all of us sit at a toasty one hundred and ten degrees," I reminded him.

"Actually, it's closer to one hundred and nine," Brady corrected.

"No one likes a smart ass," I sneered at him.

"Oh, so is that why so many people dislike you?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. People didn't dislike me! They respected me. And they had good reason to . . .

"Fuck off," I told him. Brady smiled and shrugged. I couldn't help but notice the way his muscles moved as he shrugged.

_Why are all wolves so ripped? _

"It was your idea, Liza. Come on, just walk in," Lilly persuaded.

"No."

"If you don't come in, we'll just have to make you," Embry threatened.

"Ha, I'm _so _scared," I replied sarcastically. Before I knew what was happening, Brady was out of the water and standing in front of me. He picked me up like I weighed nothing and slung me over his shoulder, his hand resting just under my ass.

"You should be," He chuckled quietly, returning to the water and dumping me in.

The salt water was icy cold on my skin, freezing me all over. The only part of my body that felt heat was the side closest to Brady. I automatically curled in to him, stealing his body heat.

"Cold?" he asked, wrapping his arms partially around my shivering body.

"St-stupid fucking Washington," I said.

"Language," Brady scolded.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." I replied.

"This means punishment," Brady warned, dunking both of us under the water.

It was in those few seconds under the water that I fully realized that Brady's arms were around me. And I was barely in any clothing. I broke away from his arms instantly and broke the surface of the water.

It was much colder when I wasn't touching him. But what was I going to do, cling to Brady the entire time? No way!

"Aw, don't get mad at me, Liza. It's just a little cold water," Brady said.

"You were trying to feel me up," I accused. It was a lie, but I certainly wasn't going to tell him that I realized that I had thrown my self at him and felt embarrassed.

"Was not!" Brady argued.

"Uh huh, of course you weren't," I moved towards Lilly and Embry. The tension between them seemed extra strong tonight. They were just kind of awkwardly next to each other in the water, sneaking peaks at the other when they weren't looking.

"So Embry," I started, "If werewolves have such a high temperature, what does this water feel like to you?"

"I dunno. It's cold on my skin, but I don't feel cold," He answered back in a distracted voice.

"The water is freezing, in case you were wondering," Lilly told him, adding an awkward giggle to the end.

"Oh, are you cold?" Embry asked in a concerned voice, moving closer to her.

"No," She answered too quickly and jumped back a little, Embry flinched slightly. "I'm used to the water by now," Lilly told him, her face turning slightly red.

"Maybe we should give the lovebirds some privacy," Brady whispered in my ear. I jumped. _Damn, he was sneaky._

Embry threw a quick glare Brady's way. Of course he heard . . .

What would Lilly want me to do? Ugh, I wish I could read people like Annie. Then it would be so much easier for me to know everything. For now, I would just have to accept that I didn't really know what was going on inside Lilly's head and would have to just assume.

"Okay," I whispered back, turning to Brady.

"What?" Brady asked me loudly. "You really want to see me _phase_?" Brady winked at me and nodded his head slightly towards Lilly. The message was clear, play along.

"Hell yes!" I replied with fake enthusiasm.

"Well come on," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling us towards the shore.

"We'll be back!" I called to Lilly and Embry.

When my feet landed on the sand, I grabbed my cover-up and threw it on, but that did little to stop the cool breeze from freezing my wet skin.

Brady motioned for me to follow him and we ran down the beach until we were far enough away that they couldn't hear or really see us. I giggled when I realized where we had stopped.

I was never allowed to come here, according to Claire. This was her and Quil's spot. Oh well . . .

"So is Lilly as hot for Embry as he is for her?" Brady asked me as we sat down on the sand.

"Um, I actually don't know," I admitted.

Brady's eyes widened. "Did you just admit to not knowing something? About your _best friend _nonetheless."

"Shut up. I don't push Lilly for information . . . So I'm not sure. I _think_ she likes Embry but . . ." I shrugged.

"I knew it," Brady smiled smugly.

"Knew what?"

"You _do_ have a heart!" I hit him hard on the arm, and then yanked my hand back. _Shit that hurt! _

Brady laughed. "Next time you want to release your anger on a werewolf, try doing it verbally instead," He offered. I nodded and continued rubbing my hand. Neither of us spoke for a minute.

"So, you actually _like _Mason?" Brady asked in a disgusted voice.

"Yeah, he's really funny. And he tells it like it is. He seems like he'd be lots of fun at parties."

"He's really shady, and an asshole. How do you not see that?"

"I see it . . . But hey, he's an asshole, I'm a bitch. So I can't really be judging."

Brady looked at me seriously. "You are _not_ a bitch, Liza."

"I kind of am," I shrugged. It was a just a fact, and I didn't care.

"If you were a bitch, Lilly would never give you the time of day," Brady stated. I had nothing to argue back with. Brady smiled, thinking that that made him right.

"That's not that point," I reminded. "Mason is a cool guy. And he's hot too," I shared.

"Do you _like him _like him?" Brady asked hesitantly.

"_Like him _like him? I didn't realize we were _twelve_," I commented. "But I don't know, maybe."

"Are you serious?" Brady sounded really mad. "He's crushing on your sister and he's two years older than you!"

"Yeah Brady, and you're what, fourteen years older than me? That would make you, say, twenty-eight, right?" I replied with a nasty edge to my voice.

Brady looked hurt and angry at the same time. But that's what he got for acting like he had any say in my life. No one tells me how to live my life.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Brady asked defensively.

"I think you know what I mean," I answered.

"Just . . . Stay away from him. He's bad news."

"Oh, would you rather me hang out with _you_?" I snapped at him.

"You barely know him!" Brady ignored my question.

"Well maybe I will have to just _get_ to know him and then make the decision for myself on whether or not to like him! I don't know what makes you think that you own my life, Brady! We aren't dating, we aren't best friends, we're not even really friends! You're intrusive and annoying and–"

I never got to tell him what else I thought about him because he was kissing me. He had one hand on either side of my head and his lips were moving desperately on mine. Much to my surprise, I was kissing him back. His lips were soft, even though the kiss was almost violent. My body was on fire, and it wasn't because his body heat was warming my frozen skin. When I felt his tongue graze my bottom lip, I surprised myself even more my opening my mouth and letting him in.

As he pulled me closer to him, it hit me. Brady Fuller was kissing me, and I was letting him. I started shoving at his chest, trying to push him away. When he realized what I was doing he stopped kissing me and pulled away. His eyes were shining.

"You perv!" I shouted in rage. "Leave me alone!" I started to storm away back towards where we had left Lilly and Embry at the beach.

"Liza, wait! Come on, don't be like that."

"Don't be like that? Are you fucking serious? You just _kissed _me!"

"And you kissed _back_," Brady reminded me, getting up and following behind me.

"Go jump off a cliff! No I didn't!" I lied, glad my back was to him, because I'm sure my face was bright red.

"It sure took you a while to stop me," Brady sounded smug. The little creep.

"It took me a while to get over the shock that you were actually kissing me! Was I not clear before? I don't like you! You're annoying, you act like you know me when you don't, and now I can add to the list the fact that you're a manipulating pervert!"

Brady reached out to grab my wrist. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go. I turned to him and gave him daggers with my eyes. He looked frustrated, but didn't release my wrist.

"Your heartbeat picked up when I touched you. I heard it," He said.

"Yeah, I'm sure it did, it's called surprise," I snapped.

He brought my hand to his face and brushed his lips softly across the palm of my hand. I was frozen.

"Yeah, you want me," He smiled, releasing my hand and letting it drop. I wanted to hit him, but knew that would only hurt me, so I growled at him and stomped away, not even bothering to return to the beach and get Lilly.


	18. Eliza: Take a Hint!

**Author's Note: This was the second chapter of Eliza. From now on all chapters of both stories will be posted under the title Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two. This chapter takes place during chapter 16. Next will be a new chapter, I promise. Enjoy :) **

I hadn't spoken to Lilly since the kiss. My cell phone privileges were still suspended as punishment for me not telling Sam and Emily that I knew. And I certainly wasn't going to call her on the house phone. I doubted she was worried, though. Obviously she knew that I went home and wasn't dead somewhere. Brady had probably told them that I went home.

_Brady. _Thinking his name made me angry. How dare he kiss me like that! What the hell made him think that I wanted him to kiss me? I was telling him how much I _didn't _like him!

"Ugh!" I slammed my laptop shut.

"Are you alright?" Amelia asked. "You've been weird since last night."

"Mind your own business," I snapped at her.

"Oh, the same way that you do, Miss Nosy?" She asked sarcastically.

"I can't wait until I have my own room!" I groaned. "Then I won't have to put up with the world's most _annoying_ ten year old."

"Get out of my room," Amelia ordered.

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I lived here first. It's _my _room. Get out."

"I'm older, so _you_ get out."

Amelia opened her mouth and took a deep breath. But before she could yell at me, the doorbell rang.

"Dad's at work and mom is over at Mrs. Kim's," Amelia said. I glared at her quickly before leaving our room and going to answer the door.

"Hey," Brady said as I opened the door.

I slammed it quickly in his face. It was ten in the morning, my hair was a mess, and I was still in my pajamas. (Cotton shorts and a camisole) I did not need his pervy eyes on me when I was barely dressed.

"It's rude to slam the door on people," He said through the door.

I growled, grabbed a hoodie off of the front bench, and threw it on before slipping out the front door.

"It is _also _rude to randomly kiss someone when they don't want to be kissed," I retorted nastily, hands on my hips. I stood on my tippy toes in an attempt to "get in his face," but he was a little over six feet tall, and I was only five foot five.

"Didn't want to be kissed?" Brady mused. "Is that why you kissed me back?"

"We've been through this, Fuller. I. Don't. Like. You." I said slowly and through my teeth.

"And I don't believe you," Brady said.

"Then I guess you're just setting yourself up for disappointment."

And then, just like he had last night, Brady grabbed me and brought my lips to his. His warm tongue brushed across my lips, and I opened my mouth to him. Not because I meant to, I guess my mouth just opened in surprise. I started pushing at his chest and he reluctantly pulled away.

"Stop doing that!"

"Why?"

"How many times do I need to fucking say this. I don't want you, I don't like you. You are annoying and I am not going to have sex with you so stop trying."

Brady looked surprised. "That's not what I want from you Liza."

I looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, I mean, I want more than that."

"Well look somewhere else. I have a friend Gaby who is available."

"I don't want to look anywhere else," He said, his eyes boring in to mine.

"If I could slap you right now without breaking my hand, I would," I narrowed my eyes at him.

He looked hurt, but not discouraged. Would I _ever _be able to convince him?

"I like your hair, by the way," He smiled.

My face flushed red. I had momentarily forgotten about my unbrushed hair. "Shut up," I said, really wanting to shove him. _UGH! STUPID WEREWOLVES AND THEIR NOT GETTING HURT! _

"No, really, I think it's cute."

"Well I honestly don't care what you think anyways, so," I shrugged. "It's cold, I'm going inside."

"I could keep you warm," Brady smirked. _Ew. _

"No thanks," I said harshly.

"Maybe if you were wearing pants you wouldn't be so cold."

I made a frustrated growl and shoved him as hard as I could. He didn't budge, which just made me madder and I tried to shove him again. This time, he reached out and stopped me.

"Careful," He said. "Bella broke her hand once when she was human trying to punch Jake in the face."

That distracted me. "Why was she trying to punch him?"

"He . . . um, kissed her without her permission," Brady admitted. _Five points for the vamp. _

"So it appears that _no_ werewolves can take a hint."

"Actually, she realized that she really was in love with him a few weeks later."

"Don't hold your breath," I mumbled, turning and storming inside the house without saying another word to him.

"Who was that? You look really mad," Amelia commented, turning the corner and entering the living room.

"No one."

"No, like, you look _mad_. You're making that same face you were before the doorbell rang, but like, times a zillion."

"Mind your own business," I grumbled.

"I called Lilly asking her why you were mad. She said she didn't even know you were mad. She thinks you're mad at her. She's on her way over."

"Melia!" I screeched.

"Oh, _is _Lilly who you're mad at?"

"No, she isn't. I'm not mad at anyone, okay? Just, just leave me alone."

"You're mean," Amelia pouted.

"Grow up," I groaned.

"I wish I could. Then I wouldn't need _you_ to babysit me," Amelia retorted.

"Go find Claire."

"Ew, I'm not going to find her. What if her and Quil are kissing and stuff?"

I didn't tell her that kissing was the most G rated thing they could be doing right now if they were awake.

"Whatever, she'll be home soon, okay?"

"Is she going to move in with Quil?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Probably not so soon. They've only been dating for a few days."

"If she doesn't sleep here tonight, I get her room," Amelia said.

"No, I'm older, and her bed is bigger," I argued.

"But I called it first," Amelia whined. "If you let me sleep there, I promise I'll leave you alone when Lilly's over," She persuaded.

I chewed it over for a minute. "Fine," I agreed grudgingly.

"Oh, and one more thing. If you don't want me to spy on you two, you need to tell me who was at the door and why they made you so mad."

"No way, mind your own business."

"If you don't tell me I'll just find it out when you're talking to Lilly, along with a bunch of other things you probably don't want me to know."

I narrowed my eyes at her. She was too much like me for her own good. The little devil. "If you really must know, it was Brady," I admitted in an annoyed voice.

"Why are you mad at him?"

"Because he's annoying," It wasn't a lie, but it was only a half truth.

Amelia, however, seemed satisfied. "Okay," She shrugged, retreating down the hallway to our room. I heard her turn on the radio.

Lilly showed up at the door twenty minutes later. I opened it before she even had a chance to ring the bell. "I'm not mad at you," I said the second the door was open.

Lilly seemed relieved. "You just disappeared last night," It was a question and a statement. How would I explain this to her? Lie? I don't like lying to Lilly.

"Brady didn't tell you why I left?" I asked, nervous and curious at the same time.

"He just said you were going home. What happened?"

"Nothing," It was a total and complete lie, but if I told her what _really_ happened . . . Oh God, I would never hear the end of it.

"Then why did you leave without saying goodbye?" Lilly countered.

"I was freezing," I didn't look in to her eyes. I couldn't.

"Then why are you so mad?"

"I'm not mad about anything, Amelia exaggerates."

"I can see it all over your face, Liza. You're _pissed _off," Lilly, who wasn't usually one to swear . . . "Did Brady do something?"

I had perfected my poker face over the years, I was an expert liar, I felt no guilt. But . . . I couldn't compose myself in this situation. My face turned red and I clenched my fists at the mention of his name.

"What did he do?" Lilly sounded curious, worried, and excited at the same time.

"He just bothers me. He's annoying and creepy. He was getting on me about liking Mason, saying that he's _bad news_ and stuff. As _if _Brady controls my life and who I am friends with. I just can't stand him! Sure, he's a good kisser but–"

"You _kissed _him?" Lilly screeched.

My face completely drained of color and I froze. _Damn it! Damn! Shit! _

"Oh my god! You totally did!" Her voice was still coming out as a high-pitched squeal.

"Shut up," I hissed. "First of all, I didn't kiss him, he kissed me. And I certainly didn't ask him to."

"Why did he kiss you? Well . . . besides the obvious."

"The obvious?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, he's totally crazy about you," Lilly said. "In case you haven't noticed."

"It just so happens that I haven't noticed," I stated back rudely. "And I don't have a clue what made him decide to do it. I was in the middle of telling him how much I _don't_ like him."

Lilly didn't answer for a moment, she just looked at me. "That's a lie," She finally said.

"What's a lie?"

"That you don't like him."

"Actually, you're right. I _hate _him," I corrected myself.

"Did you kiss back?" She inquired.

"No," I answered, maybe a little _too _defensively.

"I see," Lilly nodded. Another silence.

"Did he use tongue?" She asked.

I hope my face didn't get as red as it felt. "Why does that matter?"

Lilly smiled hugely. Then, like the mature fourteen year old that she is, she began to hum the "kissing in a tree" song.

"Stop humming!" I snapped.

"Well, you certainly _are_ in a bad mood if you are still angry from last night."

I gave a nod. _Duh, I'm angry! Stupid Brady Fuller keeps kissing me! _

"You talked to him since then?"

"Well . . ." Damn it! Why couldn't I lie to Lilly? I lied to her about plenty of other things, like Embry . . . But that was more of avoiding the truth than it was lying.

"Uh oh, what does _well_ mean?" Lilly had an excited smile on her face. Like she was happy about all of this.

"He rang my doorbell this morning," I admitted.

"And?"

"I saw it was him and then slammed the door in his face and he left." It wasn't a lie, it was avoiding the truth. Brady _did _ring the doorbell and I _did _slam the door in his face, but quite a few more things happened before he left.

"I'm a little confused. He kissed you, and you kissed him back, so why are you so angry? You obviously think he's a good kisser . . ."

"Butt out, Lilly!" I yelled at her. "I did _not_ kiss him back! And I am angry because, for the millionth time! I. Don't. Like. Him."

"Ya know, you're obviously a little cranky. Why don't you try talking to me again when you aren't going to yell at me," Lilly's voice was bitter as she turned and stormed out of the house.

I watched her go, not putting up a fight. In fact, I didn't do anything at all. I just stood there. A minute later, Emily came through the front door.

"I just saw Lilly, she looked mad," She said. Then she looked up and noticed me. "And so do you. You two fighting?"

I didn't answer her. I just turned and stomped down the hallway. I couldn't bare to face Amelia, so I walked past our door and went in Claire's room.

I had to regain my composure. I had to chill out. I was Eliza Young, cold, hard, sly, and witty. I hated stupid Brady for making me like this. For making me that girl who wears her emotions on her face like makeup. For stealing my ability to lie to others. For giving me this stupid blush that comes to my face at the mention of his stupid name.

_Calm down. _I ordered myself. _Remember who you are. _

But who really was I?

I was mean, sometimes devious. I was nosy, and often pushy. I was the girl that never talked about my own troubles, but loved to tease people about their own. I was harsh, and rather bitchy when it came down to it.

I wasn't the type of girl you take home to your parents. I wasn't one to express my feelings to anyone. I wasn't a nice girl. And I _certainly _wasn't Brady Fuller's girlfriend. (Or whatever the hell he wanted me to be.)

It was less than a half an hour later when I heard the front door open. I was still in Claire's room, trying to focus only on the task at hand, filing my nails.

"Well if that isn't my niece," Emily commented from the living room. Claire must be home. After being gone _all night_.

Usually, I would be pressing my ear against the door, making sure not to miss a single word of their conversation. But . . . I just didn't feel like it.

_What the hell is going on with me? _I shook my head, trying to will myself to return to normal. It didn't help.

"Hey Auntie Emily," Claire sounded nervous. I found it silly that Claire still called them Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily. They had just been Sam and Emily to me for years. "Um, sorry I never called you or anything. I was, um, at Quil's house."

_Surprise surprise. _

I didn't get up and put my ear to the door, but I heard the rest of the conversation anyway. Quil and Claire hadn't jumped each other's bones yet? That surprised me. I mean, Quil _was_ a total pussy . . . So maybe it wasn't really that surprising.

Claire's footsteps started to come down the hall. I put on my best poker face and continued to file my already perfect nails.

She walked through the door a second later.

"Oh my god!" She jumped in surprise.

"Hey," I said in my best casual and superior voice.

"What do you want?"

_Why did she always assume I wanted something?_

"Nothing, I'm just bored." It was a total lie.

"Get out," She ordered. I looked up and saw her pointing at the door.

"Close the door, it's hard enough to get some privacy in this house," I ignored her order. It's what the old me would do. I mean, it's what _I do _do.

"So how was the beach last night?" It was just a casual question in Claire's eyes. But to me it was . . . Oh God. I tried to keep my cool.

"It was fine," I mumbled. When she didn't immediately respond, I knew it was my chance to turn the conversation in the other direction. "So you and Quil haven't done the dirty yet?" I smirked, feeling Nosy Eliza returning.

"Shut up," She growled. _Ha-ha, everyone has a touchy subject, bitch. _(No, I do not think my sister is a bitch, not usually at least . . .)

"It's been what, three days? Jake and Nessie fucked like, ten minutes after he told her," I kept my voice low, if Emily heard me I would be in even _more _trouble.

"Well, that's them," She said snappishly.

"So is Quil just chickening out? You've had plenty of opportunities . . ." I said slowly, my usual Eliza voice back in place. I was me again. Nosy, bitchy, manipulative me.

"One, mind your own business. And two, if you really must know, every time we try we get interrupted," Claire said matter-of-factly. Yup, I was definitely getting to her.

"Someone is grumpy this morning, did you not get a good sleep? I can't imagine how you couldn't sleep well in your _precious_ boyfriend's arms," I was just being a flat bitch now.

"Really Liza, just go away."

"But I'm bored."

"Then go see Lilly," Claire's voice was impatient. The mention of Lilly made my wall come down, but only for a second before I composed myself.

"She's busy today," I mumbled, knowing that that wasn't the truth. That the truth was the thought of seeing Lilly right now was unbearable.

"Then hang out with Brady or someone."

I froze. I had no idea what my face looked like, but if it reflected how I was feeling inside, it would be on fire. Brady? Did she know? How could she know? Was Brady telling? Was Lilly? Or was it just a coincidence? Claire seemed like she was just making a harmless offer. She couldn't possibly have known anything.

"Why would I do _that_?" My voice came out sharper than I expected.

"I dunno," She shrugged. "You guys hung out last night, right? I just figured you were friends."

"Well we aren't," I mumbled, pushing past her and out of the room at a rapid pace.

Amelia knew better than to talk to me when she saw my face. In fact, she left the room all together to go play outside.

_Smart girl._

I wanted to be like one of those cliché girls in movies who throw things at the wall to release their anger. But one, everyone would hear, and two, I would _never _be a cliché girl like in the movies.

I would never be that hard-ass girl who meets a boy and then just turns to mush. I wouldn't run in to Brady's arms for any reason. I wouldn't cry on his shoulder or confess my feelings in some heat of the moment thing with the sappy music playing in the background.

That wasn't my style, and Brady wasn't my movie guy. He wasn't my guy _period_. Not for anything.

_Except maybe a human piñata. _

_Does little Tanner have a baseball bat? _

I smiled at the thought of beating Brady repeatedly with a bat and seeing if any candy would fall out.

The rest of my day was uneventful. I avoided Emily and Amelia, skipped lunch, and just listened to music in my room. It was hours after my encounter with Claire when there was a loud banging noise on my window.

_What the hell?_

I turned to my window and found Mason on the other side of it. My heart leapt. The floor groaned as I walked towards my window and forced it open.

"Hey," Mason smiled at me once the window finally opened all the way.

"Claire isn't home," I told him.

"Well then it's a good thing I didn't come here to see Claire," Mason said, letting a small smile light his face. He was _so_ hot.

My body felt like it was flying. "Oh really?" I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

"Yeah, do you wunna go somewhere? Hang out?"

I smiled and gave a single nod.

**Eliza: It's Not Easy Knowing Everything will not be continuing under that title anymore. They are now combined. **


	19. Princess Packs a Punch

_Quil_

"He's such an asshole!" Mia growled, storming in to the house.

"Good to see you too, Mia," I said sarcastically. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Mia didn't look amused.

"What's wrong?" I sighed, really wishing that it could be Claire barging through my front door. I missed her so much.

"It's Danny! He's been pissing me off all day!" Mia complained.

"He's your twin brother. Isn't that what siblings do?"

"Well . . . yes. But he's not usually this bad! Ever since stupid Mason showed up he's bee–"

"I'd rather not bring up 'You know Who' if you don't mind," I said bitterly, a frown planting itself on my face.

"Oh, right sorry." Mia was silent for a minute, looking around the house awkwardly. "So where's Claire? Aren't you two kind of joined at the hip? Or . . . mouth," Mia smirked at her own cleverness.

"Ha ha," I said without humor. "She's having a girl's day with my mom."

"Umm, doesn't your mom hate Claire?"

"_No one_ hates Claire! She strongly dislikes Claire," I corrected. How could anyone hate someone as amazing as Claire? It wasn't possibly possible.

"Whatever," Mia shrugged, coming and plopping down on the couch beside me, where I had spent the last few hours sulking.

"So, why exactly did you come here? Because if you're looking to vent, I'm not really the best person for that. You should probably call up Annie or Nessie or someone," I told her. As always, Mia gave a brief frown at the mention of Renesmee. Don't ask me why, I'm in her head everyday and even _I'm _not sure why Mia doesn't like her.

Well, I shouldn't say _that_. Mia likes her alright . . . Just not as much as everyone else does. We had all assumed that they would become friends back when Mia first phased, but then Annie came in to the picture about a year later and became Nessie's best friend instead.

"I'm not here to vent, I'm here because I don't want to be around my jerk brother and your house is closest," Mia said.

We were quiet then, just sitting there in the afternoon stillness.

"How long have you been sitting like this?" Mia asked approximately eight seconds later.

"I dunno. A couple hours," I muttered.

"Well, it's maddening," Mia announced.

"You can leave," I reminded her.

Mia thought it over for a second. "Nah," She decided.

It was only a minute or two later when I heard the car pulling up outside of the house. My heart lifted. When only one set of footsteps made their way towards the house, it sank again.

"Where's Claire?" I asked Mom the second she walked through the front door.

"I dropped her off at home," Mom said. I frowned. In my mind, this _was_ Claire's home. Claire belonged here, with me.

Mom's eyes drifted over to Mia and she raised an eyebrow. I knew that face she was making. She was sizing Mia up, judging her, and making assumptions in her head.

"Hmm," She hummed. "A boy follows Claire all the way to Port Angeles to talk to her and you have a girl over at your house while she's gone. Not the best way to start a relationship."

"Mia's a _friend_. You'd know that if you bothered to take interest in your only son's life," I snapped at her. Then the full weight of what she said hit me. "Wait, what boy?" I already knew the answer, though.

"I don't remember. Mitchell . . . Mark, M something."

"Mason?" I asked, trying to contain my anger.

I saw the realization immediately on my mother's face. "Yes! That's the name!"

I got up from the couch and left, not saying another word. I was boiling with rage, and I knew exactly how to release my anger.

_Eliza _

He looked distracted, like he had for the last thirty minutes we had been on the beach. His eyes kept darting around, like he was looking for something. Waiting for someone. What more could he possibly want? I was standing right in front of him!

"Are you okay?" I asked uncertainly.

"Of course I'm okay," Mason answered in a "duh" voice. "I mean, look at me!"

I giggled. "Shut up, you know what I mean. Something's up with you. Are you expecting someone?" Was he expecting Claire? I really hoped not. Mason really needed to get over his Claire obsession, after all, there were other girls around. Feisty, blonde, and most importantly _single _ones!

"No, not really," Mason replied, finally directing his attention towards me. "So, what's going on with you and Brady?"

My eyes widened. When was the last time Brady phased? When was the last time Mason phased? Did Mason know? Did anyone know? Does Mason think I belong to Brady?

"Nothing is going on between me and Brady," I answered quickly. "Absolutely nothing. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really. It's just that Brady may have a mild obsession with you."

Before I could respond, Quil came stomping down the beach, his eyes locked on Mason.

Mason turned in his direction just in time to be punched in the face. Quil's fist hit Mason's face so hard that I heard Mason's nose crack from where I was standing.

"What the hell?" I screeched. I was ignored. Mason pushed Quil hard to the ground, but Quil got up quickly, and I saw him getting ready to hit Mason again.

"Stop it!" I practically screamed, taking a risk and forcing myself in between them.

Quil stopped. "You shouldn't be hanging out with this guy, Eliza," Quil said, looking over my head at Mason with narrowed eyes.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

"Ask. Him." Quil growled.

I turned around to face Mason, who was resetting his nose. _Gross. _Blood was smeared above his lip from his nose. He wiped it away with the back of his hand before responding.

"Well apparently, Princess packs a punch," Mason commented. At that, Quil shoved me gently out of the way and jumped on Mason, forcing him to the ground and punching his face repeatedly.

"Leave Claire alone!" He ordered while still punching.

"Stop! Quil stop!" I screamed, trying to push him off of Mason. Despite the punches, Mason was smiling a cocky smile up at Quil. "Stop it!"

And just as suddenly as he started, Quil got up and turned back to me. "I'm taking you home," He announced.

"I don't want to go home," I stated. Quil looked at me for a second as if to say _you asked for it _and then picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" I demanded. But then Quil started to run, and I was startled by the speed.

The next thing I knew we were in front of my house. "Okay," Quil shrugged, placing me on my feet.

"Have you lost you fucking mind?" I whisper hissed. "Manhandling me, punching Mason, what is going on with you?"

"Eliza, I hate to break it to you, but Mason is no good. He is slimy and sneaky and he doesn't like you. He likes Claire. So much that he followed her to Port Angeles today to talk to her. If you can't see who he really is, you need glasses."

Then Quil brushed past me and inside.

_Quil_

I found Claire in the kitchen, fighting with a jar of marshmallow cream. She dropped the jar when she noticed my presence and ran to me. The jar shattered on the floor. "Quil," She breathed, hugging me tightly.

I kissed her quickly on the lips. "My little mess maker," I commented. She turned and looked at the mess on the floor.

"Oh, yeah. Oops," Her face turned a lovely pink.

The front door opened and then slammed shut. Eliza marched towards her room, over exaggerating her stomps.

"What's up with her?" Claire asked.

"Your boyfriend is crazy, Claire!" Eliza shouted. "He's _insane!_" Then I heard the slam of her bedroom door behind her.

"Let's clean up this mess," I said quietly, avoiding eye contact and going for the sweeper and dustpan under the sink. I didn't feel bad in the least for punching Mason. I would do it again. Hell, if Eliza hadn't been there, I probably would have still been punching him. I would have punched him until that cocky little grin was punched off of his stupid face. I just worried that Claire would be mad at me.

"Quil?" Her voice sounded nervous.

"Yes love?"

"I, um, need to tell you about something."

"If it's about Mason, don't waste your breath. I already know." My grip was so tight on the dustpan that my knuckles were white.

"Oh, you do?"

"It's taken care of," I said in the calmest voice I could manage.

"What do you mean 'taken care of?'" She asked.

"Don't worry about it."

A moment later, Claire was kneeled beside me with a wash cloth, getting the sticky white cream off of the tiles.

"Careful," I warned, "There's still glass on the floor."

Claire looked at me, and I looked at her, and suddenly it didn't matter if there _was _glass on the floor. I released the pan and sweeper and pulled Claire in to my arms, kissing her with all the love and passion I could manage. Her body, as it always did when we were kissing, melted in to mine. 

The back door opened and someone cleared their throat. It didn't sound like Sam or Emily, so I didn't pay them any attention.

"Hello! I'm standing right here!" Amelia groaned, closing the door behind her. Claire slowly separated her lips from mine. "Why do you guys always gotta be kissing in the kitchen?"

"Sorry Melia, I dropped a jar and Quil was helping me clean up the mess," Claire explained.

"That's not what you were doing," Amelia stated. "Didn't Auntie Mandy ever teach you how to clean up glass?"

"Yes, Melia. She did. I guess I just forgot. Maybe you can teach me later," Claire said. Amelia looked satisfied and walked around us and the glass down the hallway.

"We, um, better clean this mess before someone _else _walks in," She giggled.

"Maybe you should be more careful when handling jars," I commented.

"Maybe you shouldn't surprise people like that," Claire replied, getting back to the cleaning.

A few minutes later, the only evidence of the broken jar was the glass shards in the trash can.

"Now," I began. "Where were we?"

"Well we _were_ right here," Claire recalled, coming to sit on my lap. "But I'm pretty sure it would be a better idea if we took this somewhere more private."

She was right of course . . . her family's kitchen was certainly not the most intimate place in the world, especially when Eliza was home.

"I'm going to Quil's!" Claire called. "Stay here. Eliza's in charge until Auntie Emily or Uncle Sam gets home."

Emily was in and out of the house all day. She looked after the elderly residents of La Push and surrounding areas since there weren't any nursing homes nearby. Sam worked for some major fishing company down in Port Angeles. So Claire or Eliza was usually home with Amelia during the summers.

I scooped Claire in to my arms and flew out the back door.

When we arrived at home, Mia had left, and so had Mom.

_Thank God. _

I wasn't sure where Embry was, but it really didn't matter. Claire was with me. Nothing else was important.

"I told him to leave me alone," Claire whispered in to my chest. I didn't need to ask her what she was talking about.

"Shh, I know you did, Claire. You don't need to explain yourself."

"He kept telling me that you don't really love me," Claire's voice was even quieter.

Could she actually believe that?

I picked Claire up in my arms and carried her to my room. I dropped her gently on to the bed and then fell beside her. Once we were both on the bed I recaptured her in my arms and started to kiss her desperately. I needed to prove to her how much I loved her.

"Mason is crazy. I love you more than I have ever loved anything. And I will never love anything more than you. Okay?"

Claire nodded and pulled my lips back to hers.

My cell phone rang.

"It could be important," Claire murmured in to my mouth. I sighed and sat up, reaching in my pocket and pulling out my phone. I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" I said hesitantly in to the phone. Claire was looking at me with curious eyes.

"Is this Quil?" Asked a familiar smooth male voice that I couldn't quite place.

"Yes?"

"Quil, It's Edward Cullen," He said, "I can't get a hold of Seth. But it's important. Can you gather the pack and get them over here? And you can bring Claire and her sister, too. Embry can bring Lilly, just get everyone over here, now."

The call ended. My mouth was hanging open in surprise.

"Quil?" Claire looked worried.

I didn't say anything for a moment.

"Claire," I finally said. "This is important, take my truck, go get Lilly and Eliza and meet me at the Cullen's."

"What's going on?" She asked.

"I don't know."

_Eliza_

So here's what's not fun. Being in a car with your older sister on your way to pick up your best friend who you are currently fighting with so you can go to a meeting at Vampy HQ.

"But why do _I _have to go?"

"Look at it this way, Liza. You got out of babysitting, Melia." We had dropped her off at the Cameron's and Lola was watching her.

"I don't even like the Cullens, though. The small one is weird. And the blonde guy is creepy. And Bella is stupid. I mean, who wants to give up their life and marry a vampire? It makes no sense."

"But you like Nessie," Claire reminded. "And Annie too. They're Cullens."

"But they don't count," I said.

"Whatever," Claire shrugged. "Do you think it's about the vampires?"

"Gotta be a _little _more specific, Claire. Obviously it's about vampires."

Claire rolled her eyes. "The ones who attacked a few days ago."

"Oh, you mean the ones who hurt Quil?"

"Yes, Eliza. Those ones," Claire snapped.

"It's possible. Or what about the royal family or whatever the hell they are called?"

"Quil told me about them. The Vultures . . . Something like that. I don't really know much about them. Just that they tried to kill Renesmee after they found out about her existence and that they kidnapped her and Jacob a few years ago and tried to kill Jake."

"They did?" I didn't know about that . . .

"I don't think they like to talk about it," Claire said quietly. I knew that she wasn't very invested in the conversation. She was probably worried that Quil had gotten lost in the forest after calling the other wolves. Or maybe that the pack ran in to the vampire coven on their way to Vampy HQ and are fighting for their lives right now. Who knows? Claire is the worst-possible-scenario type of girl.

We were pulling up at Lilly's house in Forks, now. Claire had called her before picking me up from home.

The front door opened and a very angry Lilly walked outside. "Hey Claire," She forced a smile at her as she climbed in the back seat. She glared at me.

Claire looked suspiciously in between us for a second.

"So what is this about?" Lilly asked.

"I don't know," Claire said for the millionth time.

"So, Liza, are you excited to see Brady?" Lilly's asked nastily.

"Not now, Lilly. Not. Now." I warned.

"Is something going on?" Claire asked.

"No, nothing is going on," I said at the same time as Lilly said, "Eliza didn't tell you?"

_Why did Lilly have to keep talking? _

From the blank and confused look on Claire's face, Lilly got her answer. She smirked.

"It's nothing, really. There are more important things right now, _Lilly_," I said her name with heavy accusation.

"You just hate it when the prey bites back, don't you?" Lilly commented.

I bit my tongue. Lilly was my best friend. We were in the middle of a potential werewolf crisis. When I get mad I tend to let secrets slip out. I know too many things that Lilly can't know.

"Whatever," I shrugged, leaning my head against the cool glass of the window.

No one else spoke the rest of the way.

When we arrived at the leech's house, (Vampy HQ) the last of the pack was slipping through the front door. It was Jamie, chest puffed up and mouth closed. I wondered if he was even breathing. I, of course, wouldn't know, but apparently the vamps smelled horrible.

Lilly didn't say a word as she got out of the back seat, closing the car door hard behind her. She marched toward the house without acknowledging me or Claire.

"You two fighting?" Claire asked quietly.

"Nothing gets past you," I said sarcastically, picking up my pace and leaving her behind me.

Now, when I say that everyone was in the house, I mean _everyone_.

Jacob and Renesmee were oblivious towards the rest of the group, sitting together on a loveseat in the living room. Stupid Vampy was standing next to her husband a few feet away from the cuddly couple. The little one was speeding around the room, sometimes blurring in my vision as she spoke to basically everyone. She was like Hell's form of an angel, graceful and dainty with every tiny movement she made. Her mate and the other big vampy guy, (the dark haired one) had their backs turned to me, they were standing over someone in the corner. Who that someone was, I had no idea.

Vampy Mom was leaning against the wall, looking terribly worried about something. Dr. Leech had a comforting hand on her shoulder. The beautiful, cranky blonde vampire was as cranky as ever, talking in harsh whispers to I have _no_ idea who. I guess 98% of the room could hear her, though, so odds are she was talking to someone.

_Unless she's crazy._

Edward looked at me knowingly. (Yes, I do know all of their names when it is convenient to me.) The slight smile that touched his lips made me think that he was in my head, listening to my assessment of his sister.

_Nosy bastard. _

Oh shit! He heard that._ Um . . . Sorry?_

I wasn't really sorry but– _Crap. How am I supposed to control my thoughts? _

But Edward looked understanding. Then he turned his attention away from me, and I did the same for him.

The pack was clustered together in a group, murmuring quietly to each other. Annie was with them, wrapped up in Seth's arms. I wanted to go talk to her, but that was a BAD idea.

Lilly was over there . . . With Embry. Who was standing next to Quil. Claire was making her way over to him. Brady was there, and on the opposite side of the group stood Mason.

_Shoot me. Someone! Anyone. Shoooooot me. _

Something about my distress had caught Annie's attention. She was looking directly at me now, her eyes boring deep in to my soul. Annie elbowed Brady in the chest. He looked over at her in surprise, and then his eyes followed hers. And then Brady was staring at _me_.

And he looked _pissed_.

This surprised me, actually. What happened to Brady's supposed admiration? He looked like he wanted my head above his fireplace. I mean, I honestly didn't care whether the creep liked me or not, but his stare was kind of making me feel uncomfortable.

Then, as if by magic, Embry was staring at me. Then Lilly. Then Collin. Then Mia. Then Seth.

And I was just hovering awkwardly by the front door, wondering what the hell to do.

The little pixie vamp who had been fluttering around came to a stop in front of me. I knew her name was Alice, but that's not important.

"Hello Eliza, I don't think we've officially met, I'm Alice."

"Hi," I forced a polite smile on my face.

"You don't need to worry, everything is going to be okay."

"I don't worry," I said in an even voice, looking above her rather than directly at her.

Mason finally looked over at me, hearing the sound of my voice. He had been watching Claire, no surprise there. But now that he noticed me, he smiled and waved for me to come towards him.

I pretended to think about it for all of three seconds before walking quickly to his side.

_Quil_

Getting to the house had been horrible.

After Claire had left, I went out into the forest and howled. The others had appeared quickly, all but Mason. He never came.

When I noticed that he wasn't there, it revealed to the rest of the pack the events that had taken place earlier. Me punching Mason repeatedly in the face and why.

When it came to Eliza being there, with Mason, Brady's thoughts went sour. We all knew he had a huge crush on Eliza, but there was something else there, too. Something he didn't want to think about, so we didn't see it.

Jacob hadn't phased either, but we all assumed he was already at the Cullen place anyways. (Which he was.)

_I need to call Lilly, _Embry thought to himself.

_It's taken care of, _I reassured him. _Claire is picking her and Eliza up. _

_ Eliza, _Brady thought the word with a horrible bitterness.

_So you finally realized that she's psychotic? _Danny chuckled.

_Fuck off, Danny. _

_Hey, Danny. Why don't you go find your buddy Mason and tell him to get his stupid ass over to the Cullen's house asap. _Embry ordered.

Now we were all there, in the house. Emmet and Jasper were standing over some chair. There was someone in it, but I couldn't see who. Lilly was the first of the girls to walk in, she looked angry about something. She didn't say a word or look at anyone as she marched towards Embry. Lilly stood there beside him now, not saying a word to anyone. Eliza was walking in, but I didn't focus on that too much because Claire wasn't far behind her.

She didn't look at anyone but me, and I didn't look at anyone but her. "Hey," I whispered as she hugged me.

"Hey," She whispered back.

When I looked up again, Eliza was standing next to fucking Mason. _She really needs to open her eyes. _

"Is everyone here?" Doc asked a minute later, looking all over the room.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Good. Edward," He nodded at his son.

"Thank you Quil," Edward started, "For getting the pack here."

"No problem," I replied.

"So, as everyone knows, there has been some problems lately with a certain coven of vampires. Bella and I were out hunting today and . . . Well," Emmet and Jasper stepped aside, revealing a girl. Her skin was white and she had dark red hair that stopped just below the shoulders of her tan leather jacket.

I recognized her instantly.

She was one of the vampires.

**Author's Note: As you can see, the book is coming to a climax. Don't worry though, the story is nowhere near over, and it won't be for a LONG time. I am aware that there was no Claire pov in this chapter, but she'll have some in then next one. I know the chapters are coming much slower, just hang in there. Also, It would mean the world to me if everyone who reads this story could leave a review. Even if it is just a smiley face, it takes less than a minute and always makes my day to see that people love my story as much as I do. **


	20. Haley

_Quil_

!

All I could register was that my Claire was in the same room as a hostile vampire with bright red newborn eyes.

No! No! No! Bad idea! What the hell were the Cullens thinking? I had to protect Claire! I had to!

It seemed that Embry was thinking the same thing, because his body started to shake and he pushed Lilly behind him. Lilly reached out and put a hand on his arm to keep him calm.

"Why the hell is there a newborn vampire in the house?" Grayson demanded.

"Her name is Haley," Bella said. "That's all we could get out of her."

"Well darn, the bloodsucker didn't want to talk?" Mason's voice was filled with sarcasm. "Isn't that what's so damn handy about one of you being a mind reader?"

"She's well trained. Bella and I saw her and another one, a dark haired male, in the forest. I could hear their thoughts, but the second they saw us, a wave of recognition swept over them and their thoughts went silent. Don't ask me how they did it, I have no idea."

"So they're well trained _and _well informed," Claire speculated. My girl was so smart.

"You said there was a guy. What happened to him?" Collin asked.

"She unleashed her gift on us, then. As you in the pack surely remember, especially those of you who went through it directly, she causes you to hallucinate. It's quite disorienting to see all of these things that aren't there. This caused a distraction as Bella was trying to shield me from such a powerful gift and he escaped," Edward explained. "But we caught the girl."

I looked over at the vampire. She was playing with the ends of her hair, looking bored.

"Um, what's wrong with her?" I asked curiously.

"Jasper is subduing her right now," Edward explained.

"And you haven't gotten her to say _anything?_ Like what the hell she and her little coven is up to?" Embry sounded aggravated, but I knew it was only because he was worried for Lilly's safety.

"She's ignoring us," Alice sighed.

At that moment, Annie groaned and stomped her foot so hard on the ground that the chandelier shook. "Ugh! Why can't I read her? I don't know _anything _about her."

Mason almost laughed. "How frustrating that must be for you."

"Shut up," She hissed.

"You know that I'm prettier than you. There's something," The vampire spoke up. "You also know my name, my hair color, my gender. So you obviously know quite a few things . . ." Her voice was calm and casual. Who did she remind me of?

Hearing her speak caused several of the pack members to growl, Seth the loudest of us all.

Annie just stared at her in wide eyed fury.

"What? You're all groaning and moaning about how you can't get any information out of me and when I speak up you get mad. I just can't win, here."

"What is your purpose here?" Jacob demanded.

"If you're going to kill me, I'd appreciate if you'd just hurry up and do it," It was the bored quality of her voice that finally made me make the connection.

Edward looked at me and chuckled briefly.

"What are you laughing at?" Bella asked.

"Oh, nothing. Quil is just comparing Haley to Eliza in his head."

"Eliza has nothing in common with a vampire!" Lilly said defensively.

"I don't know, she's probably as evil as one," Brady mumbled. I looked at him in surprise. I thought Eliza was his fiery burning obsession. Why was he so cold towards her all of a sudden?

"So, vampire royalty has ordered all of you mutts dead and you're busy worrying about whether or not I am like a dumb little human girl? Pathetic." Haley asked humorlessly.

Our minds were reeling at her words.

_Vampire royalty has ordered all you mutts dead . . . _

"The Volturi?" Nessie let out a choked sob.

The Volturi scared Renesmee more than anything.

Renesmee and Jacob had been together for almost a year. It was supposed to be a celebration for Renesmee's first year of immortality. There was a boy, Nahuel, who was there that weekend. The half-vampire who had saved our lives all those years ago. Of course, he fell madly in love with Nessie the minute he laid eyes on her. Renesmee tried to shrug it off. Then he confronted her a few days later and kissed her. That turned in to an ugly fight between Jake and Nahuel. Renesmee broke it up because she didn't want Jacob getting hurt and told Nahuel she never wanted to see his face again.

But she did, one month later. And he brought friends. Friends in cloaks. Nahuel had went to the Volturi and told them everything he knew about us werewolves, including the fact that Renesmee was in a very serious relationship with one of them. So Nahuel had brought Jane and three others to their home and taken Renesmee and Jacob away to Volterra, where Jacob had almost died. The only reason Jake was still alive was because the leader's wife Aro had taken pity on the two lovers and let them go.

None of us bring that story up . . . Renesmee was traumatized for weeks, barely speaking or moving. Nahuel never returned.

Haley glanced from person to person, looking slightly confused. And then the realization lit her face.

"Fuck," She cursed under her breath. "Forget I said anything."

But we couldn't of course . . . How could we pretend we didn't hear her say that the Volturi ordered us dead?

"It's not surprising, really. I mean, I'm no Volturi expert . . . but it seems like something those cloaked freaks would do," Embry commented dryly.

"You might as well come clean about everything now," Edward suggested. But it sounded like more of an order.

"I don't have to do anything," She said defiantly.

"Jazz?" Alice asked, arching a thin eyebrow at him.

Jasper smirked and looked down at Haley. I'm not sure what he was doing to her, but she suddenly opened up like a book. "So, basically, what's-his-face, uh, Aro, has been looking all over the world for the past few years, trying to find the perfect humans to turn in to vampires for this specific mission. If we came to Washington and killed all of the dogs then we could stay young and beautiful forever. He chose us because of the possibilities of the gifts we could have. And, not to brag, but we are all very gifted. Jonathan leads us. He's the one who damaged your– whatever you call your little leader's arms. Vampire venom can seep through his skin, which is the perfect weapon when fighting a shape shifter. Jonathan and I were looking around when you guys found us, I'm second in command because I'm the prettiest and everyone likes me. Especially Jonathan. But anyways, bonus points for every Cullen we could kill. And we need to kill the little wolf print girls or whatever the hell they are called because they can pass on the wolf gene. We need to kill everyone with any wolf bloodline or who has the possibility of producing a little wolf baby," She paused to look at Annie. "And I have no idea who you are. Aro never mentioned you. But he did warn us that there were many wolves, and that the Cullens would fight too. But we can take all of you down. And by tomorrow, the shape shifter race will be extinct.

Claire was clinging tightly to my body.

Oh **HELL**__no. Threatening to kill me was one thing. But Claire? That just wasn't flying with me at all. No way. I would never let a leech lay an ice cold hand on her. Fuck no. Why the _fuck_ would anyone want to kill magnificent Claire?

The only sound in the room was Nessie, who was crying hard in to Jake's chest. Jake's arms were around her trying to comfort her ad Bella was patting her hair. Knowing Renesmee, she was scared for Jacob more than anything else.

And I guess she had every reason to be. Jacob was the only one of us who had officially spoken to the Italian's. And they hated him. They had almost killed him. If it hadn't been for that wife stepping in, Jacob would be dead right now.

"So it's twenty-four of us against five of them?" Emmett asked. "Eaaaaasy."

"Firstly, I am getting out of this horrible hell hole and then there will be six. Secondly, don't underestimate us, and thirdly, we are just the first group. The others will be here in the morning," Haley said matter-of-factly. Then she groaned and slapped her hand over her mouth. Jasper chuckled.

"She even _talks_ like you Liza," Brady commented without humor. Eliza glared across the group at him. I wanted to drag her away from douche fucking Mason, but there were too many important things to worry about. Specifically, Claire.

"The others?" Esme pressed.

"I'm not talking anymore and your little emotion vampire can't make me," Haley said.

"So does that mean we can kill her now?" Seth sounded a little _too_ excited. Probably because her singling out Annie had pissed him off.

"No, we may still need her," Carlisle said.

"What we need is a god-damned plan," Mia spoke up.

"Oh really, I thought we were going to throw you to the sharks and run away," Rosalie said sarcastically.

"We don't need a plan! The twenty-four of us go kick some vampire ass, easy as pi." Emmett said.

"3.141592653589793," Annie muttered.

"Twenty-three of us. Nessie isn't going anywhere," Jacob said in a voice that was so eerily calm and scary none of us dared to object.

Except Renesmee of course. "I'm not going to just sit here and rot while you go out and fight some vampires who are trying to _kill _you!" Renesmee shouted through her tears.

"Were you not listening, Ness? Everyone is fair game, including imprints. I'm not letting you anywhere near any fighting."

They continued to argue. I could see in Embry's eyes that he was uncomfortable with the word imprint being thrown around the room so much when Lilly was there. If she found anything out he would freak.

He was trying to hide it, but I saw Brady's eyes slipping to peek at Eliza every two seconds. He was still looking at her with anger, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. I wasn't sure if he was madly in love or if he wanted to drop-kick her in to the next county.

"Renesmee will stay behind and watch over Claire, Lilly, and Eliza," Carlisle decided.

"I appreciate the sentiment and all. But I really don't need protection. I'm not an imprint and," Eliza motioned and down her body and then pointed at her hair. "There's not an ounce of Quileute in me. Adopted remember?"

"Yes, but you have grown up in the world of the wolves and it is very possible that you could one day, er, _mate _with one and pass on the gene," Carlisle said uncomfortably.

Eliza's face turned dark red.

"And I guess that's a possibility with me, too?" Lilly asked, not in the least bit suspicious. But she _did _look embarrassed.

"Anything is possible," Alice shrugged. "The wolf smell is so stuck to your skin because of Embry, I'm sure they could sniff you out just as easily."

Embry snarled at the thought of it.

"Just stating the facts," Alice said. "And keeping your cover," She said so quietly that there was no way Lilly could hear.

"Annie stays behind, too," Seth said.

"Excuse me? I can take care of myself, Seth!" Annie raised her voice.

"I know you can," Seth was much calmer. "But you're still not going. You will stay behind with Nessie and the girls."

"Claire, Eliza, and Lilly are _human_! Renesmee is half. I am a full-fledged freaking vampire! You can't treat me like a child," Annie was furious.

"Annie, I love you. I love you and I can't let you anywhere near anything that has to do with the Volturi. If they find out about you, they'll try to take you away from me, don't you get it? I can't let that happen, Annie! I just can't!" Any calm in Seth's voice had disappeared.

Annie glared at him, opening her mouth to say something but then closing it again. She just growled a human-sounding growl at him and stomped out of the house and down the porch steps.

"Don't let her get too far, we don't know what could be lurking around out there," Edward said to Seth.

Seth nodded and chased after her.

"So are we making a plan?" Leah asked.

"Girls and their plans," Emmett said to himself, shaking his head. Rosalie punched him lightly on the arm.

"Everyone meet here in the morning. Nessie, Annie, Claire, Lilly and me will go to Jacob and Nessie's house. It should be safer than having us stay here. The rest of you will go and kill whoever you need to," Eliza shrugged.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"Well, it sounds good to me," Jasper shrugged.

"She's a fourteen year old human. Doesn't that seem a little _young_ and _human_ to be a vampire battle strategist?" Rosalie said.

"I like her, she's really on top of things," Alice smiled.

"Considering the day she's had," Edward mumbled under his breath.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Claire interrupted. "What about Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily and Amelia and Rachel and Paul and Cora and Tanner and Will and Kim and Jared and Lola and Mark and everyone else in La Push? Everyone's families are in danger."

"Go home. Get them all out of dodge for tomorrow. We won't let a single vampire get near La Push, but just as a precaution. Make them go to Seattle or Port Angeles, even Forks would be better than La Push," Edward said. "That would be the vampires' target.

Everyone nodded.

"You're going to die, every last one of you," Haley commented quietly from where she was sitting.

"Okay, _now_ can we kill her?" Brady asked.

"Can I do it?" Danny added.

"She still knows things, I can feel it," Jasper shook his head.

"Kill me, it doesn't matter, you will still all die anyways," Haley shrugged. "Jonathan is going to figure out whichever one of you kills me. Your death will be the slowest and most painful, I can assure you."

"At least muzzle her," Embry suggested.

"But Connor is the absolute _worst_. His power . . . He used it on me once, it was awful. All I could think about was burning, becoming a vampire. Quite terrible to think of what you would rather not, as a few of you probably know."

I growled, because in fact I _did _know. I saw Embry swallow hard.

"But don't underestimate Lilah, either. She's a little blue-haired vixen. Oh, or Xavier! He's quite the–"

"Shut. Up." Jacob ordered through his teeth.

Everyone went quiet.

"Well, I guess you all are free to go. Everyone be here tomorrow at dawn," Carlisle said.

"It was a pleasure to meet all of you," Haley said dryly, a false smile playing across her face. Then she paused for a moment to look over at Lilly. She inhaled deeply.

"If you aren't using the human, she smells delicious. And I _am _rather thirsty."

"We're leaving," Embry announced loudly, grabbing Lilly roughly by the arm and lugging her out of the room in a matter of seconds.

"We'll give you a ride," I offered, taking Claire and following behind them. Claire ran from my side to grab Eliza and half drag her out of the house with us.

_Claire_

"Hey! Grabby much!" Eliza complained as I pulled her after me down the stairs.

"Oh, you _wanted _to stay in the house full of vampires?"

"Better then hanging out with the four of you in love-bird city," Eliza mumbled to herself.

I wasn't sure if Lilly had told Eliza about her feelings for Embry. Was that why they were fighting?

It took me all of one second to realize that I didn't give a shit. Quil's going to die and there was nothing I could do to save him.

If anything happened to Quil, I would cease to exist. My body, soul, everything would just . . . _end_. A world without Quil Ateara was a world without Claire Young.

We dropped off Embry and Lilly first at Lilly's house.

"I'll see you guys later," Embry said after Lilly got out of the car. He threw Quil a quick, meaningful look, and then stepped out of the vehicle and followed his imprint into her house.

"So what're we telling Sam and Emily?" Eliza asked from the back seat.

"The truth, of course. No point in lying . . ."

"You girls don't even need to worry. Without her, there's only five vampires. Gifted ones, yes, but there are fourteen wolves and eight Cullens, nine if Seth lets Annie fight."

"Me, worry? Ha!" Eliza scoffed. But I could hear the worry in her voice. Worry.

All I could do was worry . . . Worry until I felt sick to my stomach. Would mine and Quil's relationship ever see the one week mark? Would this be the last sunset Quil ever saw? And what about me? Because if Quil died, I would surely follow right after. I had known Quil all my life. There was no life for me without him.

He was too incredible to die. Too compassionate and thoughtful and sweet and beautiful and perfect. But I knew that he could, that he _would _if a vampire got his hands on him. And me, being the fragile little human that I am, would just have to stare in horror, frozen, unmoving and useless as he died.

I was a terrible failure for not being able to save the man I loved.

Some would argue that it's the imprinters job to protect their imprints. I see it the other way around. The humans aren't the ones in danger. The wolves are the ones in danger all the time. The imprints keep their wolves sane and happy and healthy. The imprints are what keeps the wolves going . . . It was their job. And I was going to fail.

I didn't say a word the rest of the way to La Push.

When we pulled up in front of Sam and Emily's, we all got out of the truck. Quil came around to the passenger side and pulled me in to his strong warm arms, kissing the top of my head quickly.

"Let's go tell them," He said quietly. Eliza was walking a few steps in front of us, and got in the house first.

"Where have you been?" Sam demanded. "Kim called saying you dropped off Amelia at her house and then just left."

"There was an emergency," I told him in a soft voice. This made some anger slip from Sam's face, but it was replaced instantly with worry.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, walking towards us.

"The vampires that attacked the other day. The Cullens found one and captured her. We found out their intentions . . . They work for the Volturi. They're trying to end the pack once and for all. Kill every wolf, every person capable of passing on a wolf gene, every person who could possibly become a wolf, every imprint," Quil's body started to shake at the last word and he pulled me tighter against him.

"Calm down, baby," I whispered to him.

Quil nodded and continued.

"The pack and the Cullens are going to fight them in the morning. Claire, Eliza, and Lilly, are staying with Renesmee for protection. Jake won't let Nessie fight."

"This is so stupid! I'm not even an imprint, so why is everyone treating me like one?" Eliza groaned. We all ignored her. It was for her protection . . . And for Brady's sake.

"Is there anything we can do?" Sam asked after a minute.

"Yes. Get as many people as possible out of La Push tomorrow. Amelia, Lola, Tanner, Mark, Cora, Will. Imprint children are all probably carrying the wolf card. You, Paul, Jared, all three of you could be just as targeted as the rest of us. Emily, Rachel, Kim . . ." Quil trailed off briefly. "We're going to kill the leeches easily, of course. It's merely a precaution."

Emily nodded. She looked strong, but I saw the fear in her eyes. Her husband used to be a wolf, there is a chance that her daughter could become one someday, _she _is an imprint, and so am I, her niece.

I looked at Quil and saw him and Sam in the middle of a silent conversation. After a minute, Sam gave a slight nod and Quil's body relaxed slightly.

"We'll drop Eliza off at the Cullen's in the morning," Sam promised.

"What about me?" I asked.

"You'll meet her there," Quil almost chuckled.

"Are you picking me up?" I asked him, still uncertain on what was going on.

"Well, I was under the impression that you would stay with me tonight, but, I mean, if you don't want to–"

"I'll go get my things," I said quickly, cutting him off and running down the hall. I grabbed a bag and threw some clothes in it for tomorrow, not even looking at what I got. This may be my last night with Quil . . . ever. And I wasn't going to waste it.

**Author's Note: These next few chapters are going to be intense. I'll try to get them to you as fast as I can, mainly because I am just as excited to see what goes down as the rest of you are. If you want to talk to me, feel free to pm me. I love making new friends on fanfiction. Also, please, please, PLEASE keep the reviews coming. They really do mean the world. Special shout-out to gabycaldemeraz :))) **


	21. I Love You

_Quil _

I sat waiting for Claire in my truck, but I almost didn't want to see her. I couldn't look at her. I couldn't see the fear in her eyes and the lines of worry painted across her face. It was all my fault for getting Claire in to this. If she wasn't my imprint . . . her life wouldn't be in jeopardy.

Fuck. I was the worst boyfriend ever. We had only been dating for _four _days and I had already managed to endanger her life. Pathetic . . .

I jumped when I heard a knock on the passenger window. _Better start apologizing to her now . . ._

No. It wasn't Claire.

A sharp growl escaped my lips.

"Get lost," I grumbled. "Don't make me punch you again."

Mason rolled his eyes and opened the truck door, getting in to the front seat.

"Get the hell out of my truck," I ordered.

"I need to talk to you," Mason said seriously.

"What do you want?" I snapped at him, tightening my fist in case I needed to bloody his face.

"Claire's staying with you tonight, I assume," Mason commented in a blank tone.

"That's none of your business, Fox Boy."

Mason ignored me. "I just wanted to let you know that if you let her out of your sight for even a _quarter_ of a second with these vampires on the loose tonight, I'll kill you before they get the chance." And with that he got out of the truck, slamming the door behind him and disappearing into the darkening forest.

Of course I wasn't the only one worried about Claire's safety. Mason was watching out for her too. I was currently undecided about whether or not that was a good thing.

_Claire _

Quil didn't acknowledge me as I got in the car. He looked deep in thought . . . and stress was clear on his face. It was almost dark now. Twilight. The time when vampires and werewolves in stories would come out and terrorize the people. This wasn't true of course. Vampires and werewolves could be wherever they wanted to be whenever they wanted to be there. And tomorrow, they would all be out there somewhere, fighting to the death.

Every time I thought of Quil in a fight like that, it was like a punch to my gut and made my knees go weak. I didn't think it was possible for me to love Quil any more than I did. I loved him with ever fiber in my being. I couldn't do this. I couldn't let _him_ do this.

"Lets run away," I murmured to him after a minute of driving in silence.

He turned to me in surprise. "What?"

"I can't lose you, Quil," I told him, my voice breaking as I did. My throat grew tight as I struggled to hold back sobs. My urge to cry was almost painful, but I had to stay strong for Quil. He didn't need to see my breakdown.

"You aren't going to lose me, Claire-Bear," He said in a tired, quiet voice. It was hearing him use my childhood nickname that released the sobs from my chest.

"H- how c- can you say that?" I said in between gasps, tears falling rapidly from my eyes. Quil pulled over and then turned to me and unbuckled my seatbelt. He pulled me in to his warm arms and held me. I sobbed in to neck and he placed reassuring kisses on my head. His lips were hot against my forehead, and filled my body with liquid fire. I pulled my face out of the crook in his neck and crushed his lips against mine.

My hands flew up to his head and I knotted my fingers in his short hair, keeping his face against mine as I attacked his mouth. Quil moaned softly and constricted one arm tighter around me, like he was unwilling to let go. He let his other arm fall to the side of the seat, reclining it back. Then he put that hand on my ass and kissed me harder.

His tongue traveled around my mouth desperately, like he was trying to taste me as much as possible while he still had the chance. And that was perfectly fine with me. The taste of salt was mixed in with the kiss from the tears that were still streaming down my face. Quil removed his lips from mine momentarily to brush his thumbs across my face, wiping some tears away.

"Shh, please stop crying baby," He whispered quietly. "Please don't cry."

I thought he was going to kiss me again, (And believe me, I wanted him to) but instead he just stared at my face. He looked sad and I wondered if looking at my face hurt him. But he didn't look away for what felt like a long time. Then he let out a long sigh and picked me up off of his body like I weighed nothing, placing me gently back in my seat and moving his back in to an upright position.

"Let's go home," He said.

I nodded once, licking my lips and tasting him on them.

_Quil_

I carried Claire inside the house. Not because I didn't think she was capable of walking, but who knew how many more chances I'd have in my life to hold her?

"Let's just run away and get married. Please?" Claire whispered as I laid her down on my comforter.

"You're sixteen sweetie, remember?" I reminded her, even though the thought of marrying Claire now thrilled me to know end.

"So?" She asked. She didn't even care. God, I loved her so much.

"So you're too young and Sam and Emily would kill both of us."

"So?" Claire asked again.

"So that would be bad and they would probably never forgive us."

"So?"

I smiled and kissed her lips. "Be patient, Claire. I promise there will be a day in the future where I will make you my wife. But that day won't be today and it won't be tomorrow."

"Today and tomorrow may be the only days you have left," Claire murmured quietly.

"They won't be Claire. There are way more of us than there are of them, and we are going to kill them easily."

Claire didn't look convinced.

"What if today and tomorrow are the only days _I _have left . . ."

I growled. How could she even _think _that. I would never let anyone touch her. Never.

"You are going to be perfectly fine, Claire. If it's the last thing I do, you will be perfectly fine."

"Don't say that," She whispered. "Don't do that. Don't sacrifice yourself to save me or something stupid. Worry about yourself."

I just laughed. It was a bitter laugh, but a laugh all the same. I laughed so hard my sides almost hurt. "You don't get it at all, do you?"

Claire looked annoyed, and I knew that she in fact did_ not _get it.

"How many times do I need to say this, Claire? You're my world and everything in it. Hell, I love you so much it's probably not healthy," I ran my hands gently across her face as I said this. "I will do _anything _to protect you. You are all that matters to me. _I _don't even matter to me. Only you. Only. _You._"

And then Claire did something that genuinely surprised me. She slapped me across the face. Of course, it didn't hurt. But the fact that she _slapped _me made me flinch.

"I never want to hear you say anything like that again," She ordered in a scary voice. "You are going to take care of yourself tomorrow and you are going to live. If you kill yourself trying to protect me, I will never forgive you. You think that you would be doing me a favor by saving me? Well guess what? You wouldn't be. I've never been able to live without you and I'm not going to start trying now. If you die tomorrow, so will I."

Why did she have to be so stubborn? Didn't she know that her death was my biggest fear? I would have to make an arrangement with Embry or Brady or someone that if I didn't make it, they would watch Claire for me and make sure she didn't do anything stupid. Claire was going to live and she was going to like it.

But of course, I couldn't tell her that, so I just nodded and pretended to go along with it. "Okay," I said.

Claire looked at me and frowned. "You already have a plan, don't you?" She asked sadly.

"You know me too well," I responded.

"Why couldn't you just let me die?"

"Because I love you," Was all I said. If she couldn't trust anything else in the world, I hoped she at least saw the truth behind those four little words.

She rolled over on top of the bed and got on top of me, forcing her tongue into my mouth and practically down my throat.

In the few days that Claire and I had been a couple, we were kissing almost non-stop. How could I resist those perfect lips?

One minute we were just kissing, yes, it was very _passionate _kissing, but it was still just kissing. But then it was like the magical force that is imprinting came in to the room and made me lose my mind.

The animal inside of me threatened to take over. My hands gripped at Claire's hips greedily, trying to remove her pants. I needed her. I _needed _her.

I'm certain Claire could feel the effect she was having on me, as it was pressing against her legs.

"Fuck," I moaned, pulling my lips away from hers. _Control yourself, Ateara, _I ordered silently.

But Claire's eyes were filled with lust, and she was pulling my shirt over my head, which kind of shattered any control I may have had. When it was off she leaned over and lightly kissed from the hollow of my neck down to my belly button.

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

"Birth control . . ." I managed, even though it almost hurt me to say the words. "Yo–you aren't on birth control."

Of course, this only seemed to make the little voice inside my head even happier. It made sense, Claire _was_ my imprint, and I'm sure the magical force that is imprinting was just _dying _for me to impregnate her. That was the whole point of imprinting, after all. That little voice was forceful, trying to make me want to get her pregnant.

Oh God . . . Claire, carrying my child for nine months . . .

It sounded so good.

_I wish _I_ had the option of staying inside of Claire for nine months!_

_No, Quil! Stop letting your dick control you! Claire is fucking sixteen! _I argued with myself.

I knew that I wasn't ready for kids, but I was so, _so _ready for Claire. If I wasn't inside of her soon my body was going to spontaneously combust.

"We almost had unprotected sex before, Quil," Claire reminded. "Right now I really don't care about the consequences."

It sounded so irresponsible . . . Yet _so good_.

It was what she wanted, it was what I **needed**.

I couldn't resist.

I sat up quickly and took to undressing Claire with a huge grin on my face. Her shirt had too many buttons, so I settled for just ripping the shirt open and letting the buttons snap off and fall wherever. She seemed to like my sense of urgency.

At this point I didn't care if Embry came in, or if I heard a howl rip through the night. The only thing that could stop me from taking Claire right now was Claire herself. If she told me that she didn't want to, I would stop immediately.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

In response, Claire brought her hand down to my shorts and undid the button, trying to tug the shorts off of me while I was sitting down. I smiled and helped her out.

Her bra was pretty, a pale pink color, but I didn't bother to admire it for more than a second before I pulled it off.

I quickly took a break from the strip session to pull Claire's mouth to mine for another passionate kiss. She was on my lap now, and she saw this as an opportunity to drive me fucking insane, grinding on my erection.

A low animalistic growl escaped from my lips.

I don't exactly remember ripping Claire's panties off, but they were suddenly in my hand.

_ Claire . . . naked . . . brain shutting down now. _

All that was stopping me from being inside her were my boxers. I reached down to remove them, but Claire grabbed my had to stop me.

"Wait. I want to do it," She breathed.

_Hot damn! She's the sexiest thing ever!_

I nodded. I couldn't speak right now. I felt like I was in wolf form trapped inside my human body. I'd never felt the force of the imprint _this _strong before. It was disorienting to say the least.

Claire's hands found the waistband and she pulled down hard. Like they had the first time, her eyes widened in a mixture of worry and surprise at the size of my dick.

But Claire composed herself quickly and smiled at me, "I love you," She told me.

Hearing her say that while we were both naked filled me with a kind of euphoria.

"Lay down," I said in an unsteady voice. Oh God, the things she was doing to me . . . I was filled with so much emotion it was hard to say exactly how I felt.

She smirked and obeyed, laying down on her back.

"Are you sure that you want to do this," I asked her swallowing hard. I would stop if Claire wanted me to, no matter how much it hurt me. _Claire comes first_, I told myself.

Claire looked like she wanted to hit me again, "Of course I'm sure idiot! I'm laying naked on you bed," Even when I knew she was nervous as anything, Claire still managed to be sarcastic. She was just all around magnificent.

"It's going to hurt," I told her. The thought of me hurting Claire for my own pleasure made me feel sick. I was a selfish monster. _What the hell am I thinking? _

"Quil, jeez you're so predictable. Stop internally freaking out. I _want _this, okay? Get that through your thick skull," She giggled, quickly sitting up an kissing me on the lips. Her words were sure, but I felt her trembling slightly. I caught Claire looking down at my hard member with a worried expression.

I gently laid her back down on the bed. "I love you Claire, I'll never deserve you, but thanks for letting me try," I said quietly, kissing her in between her legs before positioning myself over top of her and pushing inside of her a tiny bit.

_Holy fuck!_

Being even the littlest bit inside of Claire was the greatest thing I had ever experienced, until I looked up at her face.

Her eyes were shut tightly and her jaw was clenched. I was hurting her. I pulled out as fast as I could.

"I'm so sorry!" I said quickly. Maybe if I groveled she wouldn't hate me forever.

"Quil, I'm fine. It's going to hurt, I already knew that. Stop being a baby and keep going."

I got in a little further the next time, and again, it was indescribable. It felt so good it should have been illegal. I pulled out slowly, and then went back in at the same slow pace. _Heaven. _

With each push in, I went in a little more. I tried to stop probably eleven more times, but Claire was determined.

Slowly, Claire's face relaxed. Then it changed to one of pleasure.

"Don't stop," She moaned.

And I didn't . . .

_Eliza _

Amelia had no idea what was going on. She knew something was up by how on edge me, Sam, and Emily were, but we refused to tell her why. That would scare her.

She was in Claire's room tonight. Of course the ten year old would get Claire's queen bed when I was stuck with my full sized one.

Basically, I was bored out of my flipping mind. It was eleven thirty at night, everyone else in the house was asleep, Claire was at Quil's presumably getting fucked, and Lilly was still mad at me.

I couldn't shut my brain off long enough to fall asleep. There was just too much to think about. Was the redhead serious about there being more vampies coming? How many? More than the pack and the Cullens combined? Would anyone die? Would _I _die?

I knew the chances of the last one happening were slim. Why would they target me? I was a white-skinned, blonde-haired, green-eyed, non-imprinted teenage girl. The odds that they would kill me because I smelled like the pack, or because of the mere possibility of me . . . reproducing with one seemed small.

I frowned. I knew we were all trying to cover Embry by keeping Lilly in the dark about the imprint, but why did that need to include protecting _me_ too? Why couldn't I just go to Port Angeles with Sam, Emily, and Amelia?

The house was cold and dead and quiet. There was just me . . . on my bed, listening to my iPod quietly in my pajamas, leaning my back against the wall and staring at Amelia's empty bed across the room.

Or at least, I thought I was alone . . .

Two gentle knocks drummed against my bedroom window. I turned to the window and scowled at the knocker.

Brady. Who else?

I had been thinking a lot about him, too. Just this morning he had grabbed me and kissed me for the second time. Then, at the Cullen's, he was just _glaring _at me. I thought he had finally got the hint.

_What the hell does he want?_

I stood up, walked over to my window, and glared at him before pulling the curtain over the window and going back to sit on my bed.

He knocked again. I turned up the volume of my music and closed my eyes, attempting to tune him out.

A minute later, my headphones were plucked from my ears. I opened my eyes in surprise. Brady stood in front of me, my headphones in his hands. The window that had previously been closed was now open, blowing cool air in to the room.

I didn't say anything, just narrowed my eyes at him. He looked back at me with a cold expression. The room (and maybe the entire world) was still and silent for an entire minute.

"What are you doing here?" I asked rudely, no longer able to stand the silence.

"Why are you and Lilly fighting?" He questioned. I hate when people answer a question with a question. _Only _I_ am aloud to be sneaky and confusing. _

"We aren't fighting," I lied.

"Yes you are. I'm not blind."

_Not blind, just dense, _I thought to myself.

"And what's your evidence?"

"You're being bitchier than usual today. And you're only in a really bad mood when you and Lilly are fighting," He observed.

"Did you ever wonder if my bad mood had to do with the fact that you wont leave me alone?" I said slowly and sharply.

He took one step closer to me. "I _did _leave you alone. I tried. You ran off with the world's biggest ass hole. Do you see how that could be a problem for me?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No Brady, I do _not _see. You don't own my life, okay. Remember earlier today, when you kept glaring at me and comparing me to evil blood-sucking monsters? Let's go back to that. I prefer you hating me."

Brady almost laughed. "I could never hate _you_," He clarified, "But I am more than happy to hate Mason. He's already messing with Claire _and _Lilly, he can leave you alone."

"I'm a big girl Brady, okay? I can make my own choices. And just because you don't like the choices I make, does not mean you can break in to my house late at night. Go worry about Lilly or Claire if they are 'being messed with.'"

"On the contrary, I think Claire and Lilly are easily able to take care of themselves when it comes to Mason. They both see he's trash. You don't," Brady sounded frustrated.

"Can we please save the lectures? I'm really not in the mood. And besides, shouldn't you be with your family right now?" I asked him suspiciously. Brady shrugged.

"Hey, wait! You never answered my question!" Damn sneak . . . "What are you doing here?"

Brady's face reddened. "Well, I mean, if the vampires tried to attack tonight . . . I wanted to be here so–"

"So when they came to kill you, you could throw me in their way and run off as fast as you can," I interrupted.

Brady looked horrified at the thought of it. "No, no! Of course not. I would never do that . . . But, if they did come here, I . . . I would be able to, um, protect you," He mumbled the last part, tripping over his words embarrassingly.

I groaned. "What is _with _you people? I'm safe! I'll be fine. Worry about yourselves. They have no reason to target _me_. Whose stupid idea was it to put me on the priority protection list anyways?"

Brady looked down at the floor. "Mine," He admitted quietly.

"Excuse me?" I tried not to raise my voice, knowing that Melia was asleep in the next room.

"Well I mean, I didn't physically _say _it . . . But the guys knew that I was worried about you."

"Why?" I demanded, severely annoyed.

Brady clenched his fists and looked me in the eyes, the pitiful, shy look wiped away. "Oh _come on_, Eliza. Why do you think I kissed you last night? This morning? I _like _you!"

I frowned. I had already known that . . . inside, but hearing him confirm it was so much worse. Sure, Brady was a great guy, but he would never be _my_ guy. Why couldn't he just see that?

There were so many words on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't manage to say anything. Instead, I let out a girly growl and shoved him out of frustration. Before I could bring my hands back to my sides, he caught my wrists and held them in his hands. Then he looked up from my hands in to my eyes.

"You're going to break these if you keep trying to take out your anger on werewolves."

"Let go," I said through my teeth, trying to free my small hands from his firm grip.

"Why do you keep hitting me, Liza?" He asked, slightly hurt, slightly entertained.

"You make me so mad!" I said, still through my clenched teeth, struggling with all my might to free my hands. He didn't even look like he felt my resistance, he just kept his eyes on my face.

"Why?" He asked innocently.

I had to resist the urge to scream. I was surprised someone hadn't already come in to my room to see what all of the noise was about. "You're trying to own my life, you won't leave me alone, you kissed me _twice _without my permission, and you're treating me like a fucking imprint. I'm not one of them. I don't swoon at the sight of _anyone _and I am perfectly capable of walking on my own two feet, okay? So just get lost!"

"You're so cute when you're pissed off," Brady chuckled, releasing my wrists.

I wanted to stick my tongue out at him, but knowing him, he would probably take that as a sign and kiss me. _Ugh. _

"Leave!" I demanded again.

Brady let out a long sigh. "Fine. But get some sleep, okay?" As fast as lightning, Brady kissed my forehead. I rolled my eyes as he turned towards the window to leave. "Oh, and Brady," I added as an afterthought.

"Yes," He said tiredly, turning to face me once again.

"If you ever think about kissing me again, I'm going to kill you," I threatened.

I expected him to have a comeback, probably something along the lines of 'I can't die, stupid ass.'

But instead, he just smirked. "Okay Liza, goodnight." And then he was gone, leaving me with even _more _to think about than before.

**Author's Note: I know that was like, the longest wait ever, but I hope this chapter was worth it. The next chapter will hopefully come faster, but I don't know. So much happens in these next few chapters. It's going to be amazing! (Author's promise!) If any of you don't like that the lemon wasn't really detailed, I apologize. I just feel that that was an intimate moment between Quil and Claire and they deserve their privacy. Writing details just didn't feel write this time. Please review and let me know what you think! Also, tell me if you noticed lots and lots of foreshadowing in this chapter… Because I certainly did. Oh, and one more thing, for those of you who may be curious, no, Eliza isn't an imprint…**


	22. Sad Cries, Long Goodbyes

**Author's Note: This chapter isn't as exciting as others, but I still think it is really good. The next chapter is _really _going to rock. Be sure to leave a review. And in your review, let me know what your favorite chapter has been so far and why, because I'm curious. I'll tell you mine in the next chapter. Also, for those of you who haven't seen, my profile picture is of Mason :D Okay, enjoy!**

_Quil_

She was an angel. She was always an angel. If angels were anything like Claire, then maybe dying wouldn't be so bad, after all.

Claire's sleeping body was curled against me in the most adorable way. She was every beautiful, good, pure thing in the world bundled up inside of a cute little body. She had a gentle smile on her face and I wondered what she could be dreaming about. It broke my heart to think that in a few minutes, I would have to wake Claire up and yank her out of whatever dream world she was in. She would have to face the real world. And right now, for me and Claire, reality wasn't looking too promising. Because the reality was: we may never see each other again. I may never marry Claire, and make her Claire Ateara. I may never sleep with her again. I may never get to have children with her (or, if last night meant anything, I may never get to see said child grow up). I may never grow old with Claire.

But there was one thing I knew for sure, and that was that I wouldn't get my answers by laying here five minutes longer. But maybe I could waste one more minute… long enough to let a tear or two fall without my Claire seeing.

_Eliza_

My morning had been dreadful. After a total of three and a half hours of restless sleep, I was woken up by Sam and driven to Vampy HQ. As much as I begged him to just take me with him, Emily, and Amelia, he insisted that it was for my _safety_.

_Yeah right. _

I wondered why we were even pretending I was in danger, when we all clearly knew that the only reason I was here was because Brady was trying to do who knows what.

Did I need protection? No. Did I need support? No. Did I need Brady? NO!

Lilly and Embry were sitting on the couch awkwardly, and Embry had an arm around her shoulders in a non-romantic way. Lilly was paying no attention to me.

I thought back to what Brady had said last night, about Lilly and I fighting. He was right… I was always bitchier when me and her were in the middle of an argument. How much attention did he pay to me to notice that? I was always bitchy, and few people could ever tell when I was being _unusually _bitchy.

_Gah! Stop thinking about Brady!_

Brady (for the probably fortieth time in the ten minutes I had been there) flicked his eyes towards me. Every time he did this, I glared at him with narrowed eyes.

The situation may have been serious, but I have to admit I was expecting some stupid teasing from the pack members directed at either me or Brady.

But none of them even mentioned it. What the hell? Not like I wanted to be annoyed by a pack of werewolves, but I was truly surprised.

The pack loved to taunt and tease, and if they weren't teasing, that could only mean one thing… They didn't know.

Through the majestic wall of windows, the dawn was approaching. Where were Quil and Claire? _Still_ getting it in?

A minute later, the sound of truck tires rolled across the pavement out front. Two doors opened and then slammed shut, but no one came upstairs.

Without saying anything to anyone, I marched out of the front door and saw them by the truck. It was Quil and Claire all right.

Quil had Claire against the passenger door and was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to describe it… because I knew that for him, there was a chance that there may in fact _not_ be.

"Hey lovebirds! Come on, we're on a schedule here!" I called down before going back inside the house.

_Claire _

"Hey lovebirds! Come on, we're on a schedule here!" I heard Eliza call from above.

Quil growled in to my mouth and pulled me tighter. He had been like this all morning, always touching me and kissing me and holding me in any way he could. I woke up in his arms and he hadn't stopped touching me in some way since then.

As much as I loved the attention, I didn't like the suspicion that came along with it. The sex had been one thing, (I practically begged him for that) but now it seemed like he was simply touching me because he still _could_. Like he may not get another chance to do these things again.

If they were going to "kill the leeches easily," then why was Quil acting like this was goodbye? I didn't like it. Not one bit.

"It's almost daylight," Quil breathed, breaking the kiss and letting go of my body except for my hand, which he held firmly as we walked up the stairs to the front door.

Everyone was inside, dealing with the situation in different ways. Jacob and Renesmee were oblivious to the world, standing in the corner kissing passionately. Even on such a frightening, horrible day for Renesmee, she looked gorgeous. I had never seen anyone work a messy ponytail and sweats better than her. Most of the pack was gathered together in the middle of the room, talking quietly. Eliza was sitting on the sectional couch next to Rosalie Cullen, looking very cranky. On the other end of the couch were Embry and Lilly. Embry was trying to calm Lilly down, for she was about as nervous as I was. The Cullens were scattered throughout the room, all with nervous looks on their faces.

Annie was sitting on the second story railing over twenty feet above, her feet dangling in the air. She wasn't even holding on to the railing for support. Her arms were crossed over her chest in a frustrated matter while Seth stood behind her, trying to apologize for not letting her fight but getting the cold shoulder. Vampire or not, I could sort of see where Seth was coming from. Yes, Annie was a vampire (and a powerful one at that), but she had no fighting experience. She had only been a vampire for four or five years, and she was a month short of fifteen when she was turned. And Seth was right about the Volturi, too. It was better if they didn't know she existed.

Lastly, I saw Mason. He was leaning against the wall of windows, looking in my direction. But this time, it wasn't me he was watching. Him and Quil appeared to be having some sort of silent conversation, and not a very friendly one by the looks of it. Quil tugged me closer to him, pulled me to the couch, and sat me down on the other side of Eliza.

"I'll be right back," He promised, kissing me on the forehead and heading towards the pack.

Eliza smirked at me knowingly, but didn't say anything.

I surveyed the room again, and that's when I noticed it. How had I not seen sooner? Was this why everyone was so tense? Where did she go?

The vampire girl was missing.

"Where'd the vampire go?" I asked, standing up and getting the attention of mostly everyone in the room. Even Jake and Nessie separated their mouths for a minute to turn and look at me sympathetically.

"It was a trick," Leah spoke up when no one else did. "She was playing us."

"What do you mean?"

"One minute everything was normal and the next… It was like Bella's shield wasn't even there anymore. She got up and started escaping. Every time we tried to catch her, she wasn't in the same place that we thought she was, and it looked like the house was on fire, and the smoke was so thick that none of us could see, and when the smoke cleared…" Edward trailed off.

"It's all my fault," Bella frowned.

"There was nothing you could do," Alice Cullen reassured her.

"What if all of them can resist Bella's power?" Lilly questioned nervously.

"Then we're fucked," Emmett shrugged.

"When did this happen?" I inquired.

"About four in the morning," Edward answered.

"Why didn't anybody call?" I was angry now.

"We did," Rosalie said impatiently.

Quil looked down at his feet. I marched over to him. "Did you _know _about this?" I demanded.

Quil nodded, still not looking at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were asleep," Quil mumbled.

"You could have told me when I woke up!"

"I didn't want to scare you," He defended.

"Didn't want to _scare me_?" I gave a bitter laugh. "Did you think I wouldn't find out, Quil? I'm not stupid!"

"I know you aren't," Quil said, trying to pull me in to his arms, but I shrugged him off.

"I thought we were past hiding things from each other."

"I'm sorry."

I turned my back on him and stormed out of the house, plopping down on the top step and looking out at the forest.

I heard footsteps following behind me, but not the heavy ones that belonged to Quil. A second later, Mia sat down beside me.

"Go away," I mumbled.

"Come on, Claire. I know boys are idiots, but Quil had his reasons for keeping that from you. He _really _loves you, and he didn't want to make you more worried than you already were."

"But I deserved to know," I frowned.

"And now you do. Look, what I'm trying to say is _yes_, the situation isn't looking too great right now. If the leech was serious about other vampires, we don't know how many of them there are. And then who knows what we are going to do if they can _all _resist Bella's shield. But I know Quil, and he's going to do everything he can to come back to you. However, it will be harder for him to focus if you're mad at him."

"I'm not mad at him," I sighed. "It just hurts."

"Well then that means Quil is hurting too. And if Quil is hurting, then we are all hurting with him. You don't want to be responsible for the entire pack hurting, do you?" Mia smiled.

"No, I guess not," I smiled slightly.

"Then how about we go back inside. And when I say _we_, I really do mean the both of us. Quil says I'm not aloud inside unless you come with me. He's worried about you being outside all alone."

"Okay," I told her, getting up and walking back inside. Quil looked uneasy when he noticed me approaching him, but before he could say anything, I pulled his face down to kiss him.

"I love you," I told him.

"I love you, too," He smiled.

_Eliza _

It was time. The Cullens and the pack were ready. Us girls were about to leave for Nessie's house, the only thing holding us up were the couples. Annie had decided to forgive Seth, and was now in his arms with her legs wrapped tightly around his torso. She was kissing him and begging him not to leave her. Jacob was soothing Renesmee, who was sobbing and holding on to him as tightly as she could going on and on about how he was going to die and she was never going to see him again. Quil and Claire were hugging tightly, their mouths locked together. Lilly had apparently decided she wasn't mad at me anymore, because she was crying on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," The Doctor apologized, "But we should really get going, they may wait for a little while, but we'd hate for them to come and find us here, unprepared, with humans around."

Embry (who was beside Lilly and I) growled.

The Cullens left first. (They had planned to come in separately to try and divide and conquer.) Then the pack slowly started to walk away. The only ones who hadn't started to leave yet were Quil, Embry, Seth, Jacob, Mason, and Brady.

I left Lilly to Embry and walked over to where Mason was standing. "Good luck," I smiled at him.

"Thanks," He said distractedly, his eyes looking off to the left. _Pay attention to me! _

I finally gave up and followed his eyes to where Quil and Claire were kissing goodbye, and even with just human ears, I could hear them whispering "I love you" to each other.

Then, Mason just walked away, joining the other members of the pack without saying anything else to me. Seth had left to join them, too. The group was now standing at the tree line, waiting for their alpha, third, and fourth plus Brady to get their asses over there.

Brady watched me as he headed towards them. Annie had to get in between Jacob and Nessie to separate them. Quil and Jacob were now joining the others.

They were getting ready to go when something happened that stunned me just as much as everyone else.

Faster then I could even process, Brady appeared in front of me and pulled me in to him. His lips crashed against mine fiercely as Brady lifted me a couple inches off of the ground and held me in his warm arms.

As I had the first two times, I noticed myself kissing him back. It wasn't like I meant to, just a reflex. Then, quickly, he freed my lips and brought his mouth to my ear.

"You said that you would kill me if I ever thought about kissing you again," Brady recalled. "Well, I didn't think about it, I just went for it."

And then, just as fast as he came, he was back with the pack.

"Come on guys, lets head out!" He called. No one responded, they simply stared between Brady and I in shock. My fingers ran across my lips where his had been just seconds ago. _What am I going to do with this boy?_

It took a good thirty seconds for anyone to respond.

"Umm, yeah. Let's get this over with," Jacob mumbled.

Collin winked at me before they disappeared in to the darkness of the forest.

_Quil_

_ Holy shit man!_ Danny exclaimed. _You and Eliza? _

Brady didn't respond, but slowly, the events of the last few days started popping up. _This _was why he had been acting so off.

_Why didn't you say anything? _Collin was slightly insulted.

Brady's shoulders sagged as he replayed all of the different occasions Eliza shared her dislike for him. _She likes me, I know she does. She just can't admit it to herself. _

_ Or maybe she just _really _doesn't like you. Don't take it personally, Brady. It's pretty hard to compete with a guy like me, _Mason commented.

_Oh really? Well it doesn't seem like a problem for Quil, does it? _Brady snapped back. Why did I have to be dragged in to this?

_Shut up, _Mason growled.

_Wake up and smell the mother fucking coffee, Mason! Claire loves Quil! She doesn't even like you! She obviously slept with him, you lose. I would have punched you in the face if I were Quil, too. If you think that because Claire doesn't want you, you can have Eliza, then you're crazier than I gave you credit for. Eliza is not a door prize, she's the damn lottery. And she's _way _too good for you! Stop playing with her emotions. _

As much as I appreciated the acknowledgment that Claire was mine, I knew that that wasn't what this was about. For Brady, it was about Eliza. We had always known that he was crushing on her, but inside of his head now, I saw much more than just a horny teenager with a crush, I saw someone in love.

_In love with Eliza Young, what a nightmare… _Nolan chuckled to himself.

_We can't help who we love, _Grayson countered. Then he shut up, as if he hadn't meant to say that. His thoughts quieted.

Most of our thoughts were quiet, except for Jacob, who was terrified for Nessie, Embry, who was hurting over Lilly, Seth, who was thinking about Annie and how he wished he was still kissing her, me, who was thinking about if I would ever see Claire again, and Mason, who was seething with rage.

_Watch what you say, Brady, _Mason warned. But his threat was only half-hearted. What Brady had said seemed to really get to him. Not the part about Eliza, he didn't seem to care about her at all. But about Claire. How upset she was, clinging to me before we left. She hadn't even sent a single look in Mason's direction. Well, at least he saw the truth, that Claire was mine and he had no one.

_Go to hell, _Mason growled.

_Not the time guys, _Jacob warned, only half paying attention. His thoughts were still back at the house.

_Gosh! She's fine Jake. Renesmee is no where near the fighting, get your head in the game! _Mia scolded.

_Mia, do me a favor and shut up, _Jacob snapped at her. Mia recoiled. Jake wasn't trying to be a dick, but at the same time, he knew that for some reason, Mia had never really cared for Nessie like the rest of us did. So naturally, when it came to Renesmee, Annie often had something to say. It's not that she disliked Nessie, she just didn't like her much either.

_Jacob, alpha or not, only I can talk to my sister that way, _Danny told him. _Leave her alone. _

_Okay guys! This is where we all just focus before bad things happen. I don't know about the rest of you, but I personally would enjoy not dying. _Leah said with a hint of sarcasm.

The rendezvous point for today's fight was set for what we now just referred to as "The Battle Field". We all knew the fight would happen here without anyone saying a word. It was the same field from the Newborn war and the Volturi meeting, and it was where we would fight for our loved ones today. And this time, it was the pack being targeted, not the Cullens.

_How the tables have turned… _Collin thought.

Tables. Kitchen tables. Breakfast this morning. Claire. Claire. Claire. Breakfast a few mornings ago at Claire's. Claire in the kitchen dropping the jar. Seeing Claire in the kitchen after Port Angeles. Port Angeles. Mason following Claire to Port Angeles. Punching Mason.

All of the scenes played in my head as we approached the field. _Claire. _I must go home to see Claire.

_Wait, wait, wait! When did you punch Mason? _Jamie asked in a confused voice.

_Not important, _Leah interrupted.

_Something's wrong, _Seth announced as we came to a stop in the middle of the field.

_What do you mean something's wrong? _Embry asked, starting to let his thoughts of Lilly drift away.

_They left before us… By at least a minute and a half. From the smell, they've already been here. But it's almost like they passed right through. They didn't even stop. _Seth speculated.

_That doesn't make any sense, _Jake shook his head. _Why wouldn't they be here?_

_ Because maybe the vampires believe in strength in numbers… _Austin realized, his eyes widening.

_She wasn't kidding about reinforcements, _Jamie added.

_It's a trap, _I thought quietly.

_But is it a trap for us? _Seth speculated.

_Um, duh! _Mason thought. _Who else?_

Seth barely paid attention. _Strength in numbers… Separation distracts us… We're stuck here fighting… But how many are there in total? Haley was at the house. She heard our plans… All of our plans, including where we were hiding– _

_ The girls! _Brady howled.

I felt sick to my stomach.

_We have to go back! _Embry thought frantically.

But it was too late, because the vampires were literally coming out of the ground, rising like the dead.

_Fuck. _

_Renesmee _

The ache in my chest was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Jacob and I had never, _never _been separated. If things were bad, he was by my side. Now, here he was, going off to fight a bunch of vampires who hated him like nothing else and wanted him dead, and I was walking home like nothing was going on.

I had only ever been this afraid once… But it was so long ago. Jake and I weren't even married yet. Nahuel had fallen for me on my eighth birthday, but his attempts to win me over had failed miserably. That was the weekend I got engaged. Then, a month later, he returned for me. I wasn't afraid of the Volturi members he brought with him, or threats for my life. Being whisked away to Volterra… that was nothing. Death would be a better option than life without Jacob. And if Jacob died today, then death I would choose. I had made this decision years ago, on the flight to Italy. If Jacob died, there was no reason for me to live. But we were okay. We were allowed to leave with each other. And Nahuel was left with nothing.

That was the most terrifying time of my life, and Jacob at my side was all that got me through it. Now I didn't have my Jacob to protect me.

Me and Annie carried Claire, Lilly, and Eliza to my house to save time, and we arrived shortly. Once I was in the door, I plopped down on a couch in the living room, buried my face in my hands, and took deep breaths.

Annie, Claire, and Lilly tried to soothe me, but I could tell that they were almost in as dark a place as I was right now. The only ]semi-regular one was Eliza, who was plotting… scheming… something like that.

"Brady Fuller better _hope_ a vampire gets him today, because if he comes home alive, what I have in store for him will be muchless pleasant."

"If he can't take a _hint_, he's going to have to take a _hit_! Maybe I could hit him with Emily's car or something."

"Um, Liza? You okay? You seem a little… angry," Lilly said, which was probably one of the biggest understatements of all time.

Eliza only half paid attention. "Once was enough. Twice was pushing it. But _three _times in three days! If he thinks he can make a habit of this…" She trailed off, frustrated.

"What is she going on about?" Claire whispered.

Lilly giggled. "Brady _loves _Eliza! He kissed her on the beach the other night and Eliza kissed him back!"

"He does not _love _me, and I _didn't _kiss him back," Eliza hissed through her teeth.

"Um, he totally loves you. And you don't think he's that bad either. You act like you hate him but… You don't," Annie said confidently.

"No, I hate him… It's_ my_ heart, _my_ mind, _my_ life, and I _hate_ him," Eliza corrected.

"Eliza, you claim that you know everything, and I must admit you know a lot, but you've got a _long _way to go before you know as much as me. For instance, you act like we can control who we're attracted to, but that's obviously not the case. Do you think Grayson _wants _to love Leah?" Annie slapped her hand over her mouth. "Wait, rewind. I didn't say anything. You're right, Eliza, you don't like him and that's exactly where we stopped the conversation. Anyone who says otherwise will be kicked in to the next time zone."

"They're all going to die and all you can talk about is who is crushing on who," I mumbled, shaking my head.

"It's better than going crazy with worry and being on the verge of a panic attack," Lilly said quietly, not an ounce of sarcasm in her voice.

She was right, but I couldn't admit it. Worrying certainly wouldn't make things any better, but neither could ignoring the situation. I was better just to sit in misery and wait for my Jacob to come home to me. To kiss me. To love me as he had for years. The others didn't understand. They couldn't possibly understand. Annie and Eliza weren't imprints, and Lilly and Embry weren't at that stage in their relationship yet. Claire was the only one who could even come close. She was an imprint in full-love mode, like me. But she had only been in a romantic relationship with Quil for what, five days? Jacob and I have been together for over five years!

"We're afraid too, Ness," Annie whispered, placing a hand on my upper back. "Terrified, even. But they'll be fine."

"Yes, you're _so_ sure they'll be okay. That's why you were begging Seth not to go," I retorted.

For once, Annie had nothing to say. No one did. I glanced up at her in an attempt to see what was going through her head, but saw far from what I was expecting.

Annie's eyes were wide as saucers, her mouth hanging open slightly. Her body was tense and her hands were clenched in to fists at her sides.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Someone's coming," Annie announced in a choked whisper. The way she said "someone" hinted that it was not a particularly friendly "someone".

"Haley?" Lilly guessed in a timid voice.

"I… don't recognize the scent," Annie whispered.

Seconds later, they were close enough for me to smell. Of course Annie wouldn't recognize the scent. How could she? She hadn't been around last time…

But I knew. Instantly I knew. My stomach knotted painfully as the scent overwhelmed my senses. "No," I choked out painfully.

He would be here in only a few seconds. But why was he here? I mean, Haley _had_ said the Volturi were behind this…

The front door opened, and I was face to face with the most horrible face I had ever known. A face I had hoped to never see again. A face that haunted me like no other. The face of my nightmares.

A sick smile broke out on his face once he saw me.

"Hello Nezmay," he said.

Nahuel.


	23. Hybrids

_Quil_

Have you ever seen one of those movies where the dead come to life and rise out of their graves? That's what it looked like all around me.

Dirt-covered vampires were digging up through the dark, moist, soil. One of them coughed out some earth on her way out. I counted them as they appeared, and there _were _in fact more than six. There were ten. Among them was Haley, and the dark haired one she had mentioned was their leader. Jonathan.

"You're on your own, wolves," He said, smiling cruelly as his small yet fierce army gathered behind him. "The Cullens are a little preoccupied at the moment."

There were some growls throughout the pack. "Stupid creatures!" Haley laughed darkly, "Splitting up, underestimating us, discussing plans in front of the enemy… and the cherry on top, leaving your girls all alone."

I snarled, getting ready to pounce and tear her fucking throat out.

_Not yet, _Jacob ordered, but he too was seething with rage and filled with terror.

"Lilah," Jonathan called, turning his head partially to face his coven. "Go take care of the wolf girls, please."

The little blue-haired one from before nodded and started off. Seth growled and chased after her with fire in his eyes. But before he could get close to her, an unfamiliar vampire pushed him in the chest hard and sent him flying to the trees on the other side of the clearing. Seth howled in pain. Not necessarily the physical pain, but the pain of knowing that Annie was in danger and he was unable to save her.

We _all _felt that pain.

"Like I said, _stupid_," Haley tsked. "_So _stupid. Stupid for thinking you stood a fighting chance. As if the brunette's mind shield ever hindered me. The mind shield doesn't work on _hybrids_. But you would know that, wouldn't you?"

Hybrid…? Renesmee was a hybrid. Jacob made the connection as well and growled, taking a step forward.

Jonathan laughed. "That must be the one. The one who traveled to Volterra. The one who loves the girl."

"We are not _that _kind of hybrid. Not like your stupid little lover. She is weak and humanlike, we are strong," Haley shared superiorly.

"Caius is quite the visionary. It was him who came up with the idea of having several different vampires bite the same person. Mixed venom. Ingenious. No other power can stand against ours. All other vampire powers can't touch us. Not even the blonde empath. I chose to say those things yesterday. I let you believe you had the advantage. But you are all fools," Haley laughed again.

"It's time to die," A vampire who I recognized to be the thought controller announced cheerfully.

_We're doomed, _Austin gulped.

But I didn't care. My dying didn't matter. There was only one worry, only one thought running through my head-

_The girls… _

_Renesmee_

I was frozen. Unable to move. Incapable of breathing. This couldn't be happening. No. No… Not now.

"Surprised to see me?" He teased, taking a small step in my direction.

"Nessie," Annie whispered. "Run."

Nahuel, seeming to finally notice the others turned on Annie. "Who's this?" He looked her up and down. "You got yourself a vampire body guard?" He looked past her at Claire, Eliza, and Lilly, "And some human sacrifices? That's not going to save you."

"Leave them alone," I ordered feebly, choking on my words as they came out.

"Why are you so frightened, Nezmay? It's just me."

"That's not my name," I said through my teeth.

"You never did care for it much," Nahuel recalled.

Let me take a moment to in greater detail explain mine and Nahuel's past. Alice invited him and the Amazons to Forks to celebrate my first birthday after a year of not aging. I was eight. Nahuel and I had gotten along rather well when we first met, despite the fact that Jacob didn't trust him. We had had a good time together before things went bad. We hung out, I took him vegetarian hunting, and he had given me the nickname Nezmay. Jacob was so worried before Nahuel had arrived, but I hadn't thought much of it. Jake had always been the jealous type when other men were around me. I never could have imagined that Nahuel would have been so taken with me. Jacob proposed to me the night of my birthday, and it was the best night of my life. But the day after my birthday, everyone was playing vampire tag in the forest and Nahuel approached me. He apologized to me for hiding his true emotions and tried to convince me to go back to Brazil with him. I refused, of course. But Nahuel was convinced I was brainwashed by Jacob and promised that he would save me. Then he kissed me.

Jacob (thank God) came to my rescue… but the damage had been done. Nahuel was ordered to leave and he obeyed. He had tried to apologize to me, but I wouldn't hear it. Everything after that was fine until Nahuel came back for me a month later with the Volturi Guard. Nahuel had offered an exchange: He would give information about hybrids and bring me to Volterra if he could be allowed to keep me after. Jacob was ordered dead. The only thing that had saved us was the compassion of one of the wives. We never saw Nahuel again.

Until right now, of course.

"What do you want, Nahuel?" I asked, trying to sound brave when I was clearly petrified.

I heard the other girls (minus Annie, who didn't seem at all surprised) gasp and whisper at my confirmation of who our unwanted visitor was.

"What have I always wanted, Nezmay?" Nahuel asked rhetorically.

"B–but Haley said the Volturi was behind this," Lilly speculated.

"They are, I assure you. It just so happens they aren't the only ones who want Johnson dead."

"His name is _Jacob_," I told him for the ten thousandth time. Nahuel had never bothered to learn it.

Nahuel shrugged and waved my correction away. "Regardless, I have friends in cloaks who keep me informed. When I heard of their plan to kill the wolves and their in-printer girls, the situation was… what's the English word? Ideal."

"Burn in hell," Annie spat bravely.

"Excuse me?" Nahuel asked.

"You expect me to be afraid of you. I'm not. You're plan isn't going to work. You're going to spend the rest of your pathetic life trying to get _her_, I can see that. But you will never succeed. And either will the others. The pack is going to kill all of them and they're going to kill you."

Nahuel chuckled. "Big words from such a little vampire. Got yourself a boyfriend with a tail, too? That seems to be rather popular for vampire girls in this area," He turned again to look at Claire, Lilly, and Eliza. "Or just for girls in general."

"Leave them alone," I demanded.

"Don't worry, baby. It isn't my job to kill them. I'm sure the idiot vampires are sending over someone to kill them anyways. All I need is you. They can live for another half an hour or so, it makes no difference to me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I spat. "You'll just have to kill me."

"Or I could always kill her," Nahuel shrugged, pointing a finger at Lilly. He took a step towards her. "Hmm, she's a good girl. Only one here who hasn't had a mutt in her mouth today."

"She has nothing to do with this!" I said, trying to swallow my tears.

"Well what about her?" Nahuel asked, now on the other side of the room with both hands digging into Claire's arms. Claire shrieked and tried to get away.

"Stop it! Leave her alone. Leave them all alone!" My voice cracked.

"They're just _humans_, Renesmee," Nahuel said, aggravated. "It is beneath you to care about them. They live, they get old, they die. They'll all die eventually. You, on the other hand, can live forever." He left Claire and sauntered over to Eliza, baring his teeth and bringing his lips near her neck.

"She can, too. It would only take a simple bite. Would you want that? Would you want to be the one responsible for taking away this girl's humanity?" Nahuel asked me, raising his voice.

Eliza surprised us all by spitting in his face.

"You little," He raised his hand to hit her and she flinched in frightened anticipation.

"Stop! Stop! It's me you're here for, Nahuel. Stop being an ass and just do what you came to do."

"Nessie," Annie warned quietly.

"I have to protect you all," I murmured.

"If you give in, you'll never see Jacob again. Is that what you want? Because that doesn't sound like a victory to me."

"I can't let you all die because of my own selfishness," I cried.

"Well then make your decision, _Nessie._" Nahuel mocked. "You can _all_ die right now, or you can come with me and your friends will be safe."

I sighed in defeat. "I can't let you hurt them."

"Shut up, Renesmee," Claire said boldly. "If Quil's dead then I am dying too. Don't try and save _me_."

"I am a vampire, come on now. Do you _really_ think that his half-vampire strength is stronger than the power of the both of us? Stop shaking and fight!" Annie ordered.

"You've got to be kidding me," Nahuel growled impatiently, jumping out and capturing Lilly in his arms. "No one move or she dies.

"Hiding behind the life of a fourteen year old girl?" Despite the situation, I laughed. "You coward."

"Don't test me," He said before pushing Lilly back and slamming her body in to the wall behind them. She yelped in pain.

Annie and I were on him in less than a second; Annie snatching Lilly away from him and me pushing him hard to the ground.

But he had hundreds of years experience over me, and brought me down with him, quickly rolling us over so he was on top of me. Annie stopped him before he could cause me pain and threw him through the large windows on the other side of the living room. The glass shattered deafeningly.

"Damn," He cursed, picking shards of glass out of his hands and stepping through the open space where the windows once were. "That wasn't very nice."

He put his hands up as if in surrender, but I kept my body tense, ready to attack. "He's going to die anyways, Renesmee. As much as I would enjoy to be the one to kill your," his eyes flickered to my left hand, "_husband_, I just won't get the chance. The Volturi is taking care of the dogs. I've heard of the vampires they bred… They're powerful, maybe even invincible. The wolves, even with the help of you family, doesn't stand a chance. They are all going to die, and then you are going to have no one, no one keeping you here. Come with me Renesmee."

His words terrified me, but I couldn't let him know that. "I would rather spend the rest of my life sad and alone than go with you. You're a monster."

He tried to reach out for me, and I punched him hard in the face, successfully breaking his nose.

"You know what? Fuck you, bitch. It's too late for you to save him. Too late to save any of them. You deserve to spend the rest of eternity all alone."

The air shifted, and then he was gone.

"Renesmee, are you okay?" Annie asked.

In answer, my knees buckled and I fell to the floor, in a full-on panic attack, to upset to even cry any more.

The pack. My family. My parents. _Jacob._ They were all doomed.

_Quil_

It was a fight unlike any fight I'd ever been in. Even with our number advantage, they were winning. We had only managed to take two vampires down, and neither were the talented ones; just the back-up. We were getting weaker, and I had trouble focusing on the fight. All I could think of was Claire.

It was down seven versus fourteen. Two wolves for every leech. But still, it was terrible. Jacob had split up Embry and I, because two wolves terrified for their imprints weren't the best fighting duo. I fought with Mia and Embry with Danny. Mason was fighting with Grayson and Nolan with Jamie, because two newbies together also wasn't a good idea. Leah switched with Collin to help Brady and so Jacob was fighting alongside Collin. Seth and Austin were the only fighting pair who hadn't traded partners.

Luckily, mine and Mia's vampire wasn't the mind controller. Unluckily, we had somehow traded vampires with Leah and Brady and were now facing Jonathan.

_How do we fight what we cant touch? _Mia thought frantically.

_How should I know? Do you have a thirty-nine and a half foot pole that we can use?_

_ He's not the Grinch, idiot! _Mia snapped back.

_Just throwing ideas out! _I defended, jumping out of the vampire's reach as he tried to take a swipe at me.

_Think of a better one, _Mia hissed, snapping at the vampire in an attempt to keep him away.

_We could grit our teeth and try to ignore the burning? _

_Burning…_ Mia let that word resonate in her head. _Burning! Fire! We need fire! _

_ Fire is something we don't currently have, Mia, _I reminded.

_I can make a fire, _Jamie offered. _But I would need to phase back._

_ That's suicide! _Nolan howled.

_Not if you cover me, _Jamie replied.

_Not a bad idea actually… _Jake considered.

_No way! He's just a kid, _Nolan reminded angrily.

_Exactly, so he'd be more useful starting a fire than fighting, _Mia reasoned.

_Mia, cover Jamie. Nolan, take care of your leech. Jamie, make that fire. Quil, I'll distract the leader, trade with me. _Jacob ordered, his thoughts in a million different places at once.

I bounded towards him and jumped on his vampire. It was one of the original six. The littlest of all the males. I couldn't remember what his power was, but after being on top of him for only a millisecond I knew. My vision went hazy and my hearing ability decreased greatly. I couldn't smell any more than a human with a bad cold could, and the ice of the vampire's skin seemed to dull.

All of my senses were turned down like the dimmer on a light switch. Through the blur in my eyes, I saw the leech give a small smile and then he kicked me off of him. I fit the ground hard about fifteen feet away. Definitely some broken bones.

Where did the boy go? I couldn't smell him. I couldn't see him. I couldn't hear his approach. But within a second of him reaching me I caught his scent and jumped out of the way. The quick movement made my head spin. Maybe I had a slight concussion as well?

I picked up a sound. A horrible, menacing sound that I identified as laughter (Presumably the boy's).

I saw him through the fog in my eyes. He was sauntering towards me, taking his sweet time. It didn't matter how long he took, because suddenly I was paralyzed in fear.

There was another vampire beside the boy, another talented one, and his eyes were trained on me. Whatever he was doing, I was frozen.

_What is this, kill Quil time?_

_ He's got the fire going! _Mia cheered excitedly in the back of my head. _Now we just need to light this fucker up like the fourth of July. _

Her words had little meaning to me as I came face to face with my death. The one who froze me freed my body, but it didn't matter anymore. I had no time. The small one had his teeth bared and was flying towards me. I was going to be dead in the next nanosecond.

Then, faster than my weakened eyes could process, a flash of orange flew in front of me and knocked my attacker to the ground, ripping him to pieces. My senses returned to their regular sharpness to show me my savior.

Surprise… that was what I felt. Confusion. Gratitude. And then suspicion.

Why had Mason saved my life?

_Eh, the last thing I need is to be blamed for not saving you when I had the chance. Then Claire would _never _talk to me. Don't mistake that with me being generous, or nice, or friendly in any way. Got it, Princess? And I don't wanna hear any thank-yous. I wasn't doing you a favor._

I was speechless.

_You can contemplate his motivation later, get your head in the game, Ateara! _Leah ordered.

_Which one? _Mason chuckled internally, speeding off towards another bloodsucker.

I shook my head, ignoring the throbbing there, and headed over to where I was needed most. Embry and Danny were taking on Haley, and having quite a bit of trouble.

Haley was toying with them, her auburn hair billowing behind her as she literally ran circles around them.

_I can't see anything! The blizzard is too strong! _Danny exclaimed.

_There is no blizzard, man! _I told him. _You're hallucinating. _

I could only see the hallucinations through their eyes. She was paying no attention to me. If she turned around and noticed my approach, I would be just as blind as them.

Embry howled in agony. Haley had stopped running abruptly and jumped on him, digging her fingers in to his skin. She lifted him and them slammed him in to the ground so quickly that even my eyes had trouble keeping up. Danny jumped on her and ripped one of her arms off and she hissed in pain. I joined in, pinning her to the ground.

_Dog pile on Haley, _Brady chuckled to himself as he ripped the head off of his vampire.

Haley screamed in rage and the entire clearing flooded with water. Water was everywhere, rising at an alarming rate. I couldn't get my paws on Haley anymore, because I couldn't tell which one was the _real _her. Their were dozens of her underneath me now, and before I could pick out the actual one, she had kicked Danny and I off of her. Embry was still laying on the ground a few feet away, cursing colorfully from the pain. Most of his ribs seemed to be bruised or broken.

Seth came in to help, and Haley turned on him. Before he could take a snap at her he stopped. _Annie? _He asked in disbelief. _What is she doing here?_

_ You're hallucinating. She's not here, _I informed him.

_Yes she is, over there,_ He motioned off to his left, where low-and-behold, Annie was racing towards the battle. She was headed straight for Jonathan, who Mia and Jamie were still trying to catch on fire.

"Jonathan!" Haley called out, forgetting about us and speeding towards her leader. On her way there, Haley paused and lunged at a still human Jamie. I thought for sure he was a goner, but Jamie leapt several feet above the ground and phased mid-air, landing on his paws.

Annie got to Jonathan first, and the two began to fight. Unlike us, Annie felt no burning touching his skin. He was the most powerful weapon for fighting a werewolf, but in battle with a vampire he was powerless. No one else could touch them, except Haley of course. Haley joined in, and then it was two against one. Jamie didn't let that happen, and jumped on Haley, pinning her to the ground and refusing to release her no matter what horrible visions she threw at him. With the help of Mia, they began to tear Haley apart.

"Jonathan, help!" Haley shrieked.

"Sorry Hales," Jonathan apologized, not even bothering to look at her, "I gotta save myself."

Haley screamed again, either in outrage or in pain, I wasn't certain. Then her scream cut off mid-shriek, and she was silenced forever. Mia and Jamie ditched her remains in the fire they started.

During all of this, Seth had ran to Annie's side, and watched her fight Jonathan. He had never felt more helpless or terrified in his life.

Annie, however, seemed very confident. She jumped and ducked and twirled and bit and shredded away at the vampire leader. He got in a lucky swing and hit her hard in the face, causing her to hit the ground, but this didn't discourage her.

"Well, if you want to play that way," She shrugged and gave him a look that clearly read "your funeral." She bounded towards him and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him back until he hit a tree.

"See how I can put my hands on you? Your little venom skin thingy doesn't work on me!" She boasted.

"I can take you down without it. Your strength is no match for mine," Jonathan laughed, flipping them around effortlessly and smashing her so hard in to the tree that it fell.

Despite the consequences, Seth flung himself on Jonathan. Annie slipped free. Jonathan's hands were tight around Seth's paws, both breaking the bones and burning the skin. Annie snarled in rage and crashed in to them full force, getting in between the vampire and her true love.

"Leave. Him. Alone." Annie ordered fiercely.

Jonathan smirked, despite the fact that Annie had him pinned to the ground. "Oh, I see. You don't like me hurting your boyfriend, do you?" He continued to stare her down. "Who _are_ you, exactly?"

"I'm the last face you're going to see before you die!" Annie screeched, ripping off his arm at the elbow.

I'm not sure what happened next. Claire took over my mind. She could be in terrible danger. Why was Annie here? Were all the others dead? Was Claire dying _right now_? Was it too late to save her?

It was him, the thought controller. He stood about twenty feet away from me, but I was certain he was behind this, as he was staring right at me with a wicked smile on his face. He was one of the only vampires left, now. Him and the one who had frozen me earlier and Jonathan.

I knew this was my chance to kill him, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything except think about Claire. Grayson tried to come to my rescue, but the vampire floored him.

Grayson was always the best at hiding things, the most controlled, the quietest mind. But seeing these thoughts that he had never dared to think before, I realized just _how much_ he was hiding.

_We can't help who we love, _he had said earlier.

Grayson hadn't been referring to Brady loving Eliza, not at all. It was him. He _was_ in love with Leah, after all. He saw her as beautiful and brave and funny and smart and fierce and kind-hearted.

We all pretended to not listen, but if Grayson was coherent he would know that we heard every thought buzzing through his head. Seth was the only one not paying attention. He was preoccupied spazzing out over the fact that his Annie was fighting a dangerous mutant vampire.

_You have to help her! _One side of Seth would think.

_No! You'll only get in the way and distract her! Don't distract her! _Another side would argue.

_Why are you just sitting there like a sac of fucking potatoes? She needs you! _

_She can handle this._

_ No, no! She's going to get hurt. I must die protecting her!_

_ Your dying isn't going to help her…_

_ Unless it distracts Jonathan… _

_ Seth, _Leah snapped, _Can you please shut up the annoying little voices inside your head? _

_ You're the only annoying voice in my head, Leah, _Seth growled.

_Watch what you say to Leah, her boyfriend's going to jump you! _Danny laughed.

_Fuck off, _Leah hissed. She turned sharply to me.

_Quil, you have a brain that you are capable of using, correct?_

_Yes,_ I replied.

_Then stop standing around like an idiot and do something! We may not be able to do anything about Jonathan but the other two… _Leah looked around. _Where did they go? _

Puzzled, I scanned the clearing. The vampires were gone, including Annie. Seth, Jacob, Grayson, and Collin were gone, too. Their voices were no longer present inside of my head.

_What the hell? _Embry exclaimed.

_Where'd they go? _Austin asked hesitantly.

_You don't think they're… _I couldn't let myself finish that line of thought. There was no way they were dead. There was no way Seth would let Annie die, there was no way Annie would let Seth die. There was no way Jacob would let _himself_ die. Grayson had been beside me seconds ago. And I had no idea how long Collin had been missing.

_Leah? _Embry asked. With Jacob uh … _missing_, Leah was in the position of alpha.

_Isn't it obvious? we have to find them, wherever they went and save them. Grayson and the others could be in serious danger. _

_ Worried about your lover? _Mason chuckled.

_He's not my _lover. _You guys would know if I felt that way. _Leah snapped.

_Just like we all knew how Grayson felt… _Danny teased.

_Oh my god, can this wait? Lives could be in danger! _Leah's voice grew in power, and we all nodded timidly and focused, ready to do whatever it took to get the missing members of our team back.

_Embry, go to the house. Find the girls and protect them. We can only hope it's not too late. _Pain shot through my chest at her words.

_But I'm the best fighter,_ Embry argued, even though we all knew he wanted to make sure Lilly was okay.

_I'll go! _I offered desperately. I had to see Claire.

_No, Quil. Embry, you aren't capable of fighting right now, you can barely walk with your injury. Don't waste any more time protesting, go and don't come back no matter what. We've got this. _Leah ordered harshly.

Embry didn't argue then, and raced towards the girls.

As much as I wanted to see her, Claire would have to wait.

If she was even alive…

It took a minute for me to realize that we were all somehow back in human form, and the ground was reaching up around my ankles, pulling me under like quicksand.

"What the hell?" Brady exclaimed before the earth swallowed us whole.

**Author's Note: So this chapter definitely didn't end how I originally thought it would, but this just means that there will be one more chapter of craziness before the last chapter! Two more chapters in Part One guys! And let me just say now that Part Two is going to be even better! Who else is excited for Breaking Dawn? ME! Make sure to cheer for the pack! So anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please, please, PLEEEAAASSSEEE leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	24. Crazy Stupid Desperate

_Claire _

Annie had left just after Nessie's breakdown. She went in a state of urgency and didn't say a word to any of us.

Hopefully Nahuel was gone, because if he were to come back, –or if any vampire were to stop by– all we had in the form of defense was a hysterical half-vampire and my little sister (who spits on vampires).

Lilly's body was aching from being shoved against the wall, but she was trying to play it off. Her and Eliza were sitting against the opposite wall from the shattered windows. I was the one comforting Renesmee, which wasn't totally fair because I would have loved more than anything to break down too. She had stopped crying now, and was just a vegetable, lying limply on the floor. I sat beside her, stroking her bronze ringlets and not saying anything. I didn't trust my voice. Quil was gone. Nahuel had said they stood no chance. Quil was gone. He was going to die. Quil was gone. He may have already been dead for all I knew. Quil… Was... Gone. _Quil._

After probably fifteen minutes of us being alone, I left Renesmee to her zombie self and went to sit beside Lilly and Eliza. Lilly wrapped an arm gently around my shoulder.

"He's okay, Claire," Lilly said in a soothing voice. The statement never reached her eyes though, which were clearly painted with worry.

"I can't believe that leech threatened to bite me. What a fucking pedophile!" Eliza squealed.

"Like Brady?" Lilly teased quietly, almost, but not quite smiling.

"Don't even get me started," Eliza warned.

"Wait, shh!" I hushed them, listening closely to the crunch of approaching footsteps. Before I could react, Embry walked through the front door.

"Oh, good, it's you," I sighed.

The biggest smile I had ever seen appeared on Lilly's face as she sprinted across the room, jumping in to his arms and hugging him. He hugged her back tightly. I wondered if Quil and I had been so obviously in love before we were together like Embry and Lilly were. _Quil._ Where was he? Seeing Lilly with her wolf made me feel even emptier and more depressed.

"You're okay!" Lilly exclaimed with delight. "Ow, and you're crushing me!" Embry loosened his grip. Then he noticed Nessie lying unresponsively on the floor and the shattered windows.

"What happened?"

Lilly recounted the events to him in a soft, timid voice. The further she got in to the story, the angrier he got. When she got to the part about Nahuel slamming her against the wall, Embry flipped out.

"That bastard! He put his hands on you, Lilly? Where the fuck is he?" Embry was shaking. "I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him," He growled through his teeth.

"He left. He's gone," Lilly told him. "It's over."

"No, it's not over until he's roasting in a fire pit. Which way did he go?"

"Calm down, Embry. Calm down, I'm okay. It didn't hurt that badly. I'm fine."

"You need to go to the hospital, come on, let's go!" Embry announced, dragging her to the door.

"Embry, stop! I'm fine. I don't need to go the hospital." He kept trying to pull her out the door anyways.

I was reminded of last January, when Quil and I were running to get out of the rain and I slipped in a puddle and twisted my ankle. Quil had tried to take me to the emergency room. _Quil._

I had to ask…

"Embry," Embry turned his attention to me and stopped pushing Lilly towards the front door.

"Yes, Claire?"

"Is Quil…?" I couldn't finish, because if I said another word I would start crying.

"He was alive when I left," Embry reassured me. The pressure in my heart lessened slightly.

"What about Jacob?" Nessie asked, still curled up in a ball on the floor, still refusing to move.

When Embry didn't answer right away, Nessie moved faster then I had ever seen and stopped right in front of Embry. "What about Jacob?" She asked more frantically, the tears starting to pool again.

Embry's expression changed and Renesmee started hyperventilating.

"No! No! Jacob!" Renesmee was screaming.

"Renesmee, calm yourself. He isn't for sure dead, okay? He's… missing."

"I have to go find him!" Renesmee announced flying out of the house. Embry chased after her and we chased after Embry. The three of us crowded around the door and watched as Embry bounded in front of Renesmee and captured her in his arms. She didn't like this. She started screaming and thrashing wildly.

"Let me go, Embry! Let me go! Ahhhhhh! I have to save him!" She had truly went off the deep end. Being without her Jacob had turned her insane. Renesmee was an imprint, just like me. Was I next? Would Embry need to hold me back while I screamed at him to set me free?

"Nessie, calm down. You aren't thinking straight. I'm supposed to protect you, not let you run off in to battle."

"Fuck you, Embry! Let me go! I don't need protection!" She whacked him in the face and tried to get away. But Embry didn't let go.

He carried her to the house and we all backed away to let him through. Once they were inside he pushed dropped her to her feet and slapped her hard across the face. No one seemed more surprised by that than Renesmee. She stared at him in surprise.

"Did you just _hit_ me?" She asked.

"You hit me first," Embry reminded her.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Do you want to hear what happened or do you want to go ape shit again?" he asked her.

Renesmee's shoulders slumped as she went to sit down on the couch. Lilly, Eliza, and I sat down with her and Embry started to explain what had happened out on the battlefield.

When he got to the end, and how he was sent back because he was injured, Lilly's face scrunched up.

"You _hypocrite!_" She hissed. "Freaking out because _I _was hurt! Trying to pretend that you're not all _broken _inside!" I had never seen Lilly so angry about anything.

But that was at the back of my mind. Annie, Seth, Jacob, Collin, and Grayson were missing.

"So what was the pack doing when you got here before you phased back?" Eliza asked.

Embry shrugged. "I had to phase back less than a minute after I got away from the field. I wasn't healing properly. I'm still not, I don't think. Where's the doctor when _I _need him?"

Renesmee was sobbing in to my lap. Her Jacob _and _her family were missing, Nahuel hadn't been bluffing. It was really just her.

But I had my own problems. Why was Quil going _after_ the vampires that somehow had the power to make themselves and a quarter of the pack plus the entire Cullen family disappear? Did Quil _want _to die?

"Embry, I _have _to go after them. I need to save Jacob," Renesmee said.

"No chance Nessie. I need to protect you. This is too dangerous. Jacob would want you here and safe."

Nessie looked like she wanted to fight him, but then stopped herself and sighed.

"I need some water," She said sadly, dragging herself across the open first floor in to the kitchen area and staring sadly at the fridge, like it held some sort of Jacob memory inside of it.

"I'll go help her," I said, getting up from the couch.

"Watch her," Embry mumbled. He sat down beside Lilly and they started quietly arguing.

I walked to where Nessie was standing in front of the fridge, and to my surprise, she didn't look helpless anymore. She looked determined. Her hand whipped out and landed gently on my arm as she projected her thoughts to me.

_I need to get out of here. If I can just get far enough away he can't follow me. He won't bring Lilly in to the danger and he won't leave Lilly behind unprotected. _

I turned her head to look at me and silently mouthed "Take me with you."

She shook her head and projected again, showing me that it was too dangerous.

"I don't care," I mouthed silently back, careful not to breathe a single word. If Embry caught on this whole thing was over. And it couldn't end. I hadn't realized just how much I needed to see Quil until I was given the opportunity to.

_You can't come, Claire. _

"I'll tell Embry," I silently warned.

She narrowed her eyes at me. _Quil would kill me if I let you go. _

"Embry will kill you if you try to get away again," I countered.

Renesmee cursed me silently. I didn't falter. She _was _taking me with her.

_Fine. _She caved. Then she showed me the plan.

"Embry," I called.

"What's wrong?" He asked walking over to us where Nessie was back to her zombie state on the floor.

"I think she needs to lay down. She's emotionally exhausted."

He nodded and scooped her up, bringing her up the stairs. I followed behind them. Embry deposited zombie-Nessie on the bed and then left us. The second he was gone, Renesmee dropped the zombie façade and sat up quickly, beckoning me over to her.

_Okay, we have to be fast. _We waited for the conversation to return downstairs and then Renesmee picked me up, hopped off of the bed, raced out on to the balcony and flung us over the railing. My heart raced as we plummeted to the ground. The second her feet touched the earth, Embry shouted from inside.

"Damn it!" But Nessie was already running at full speed. Embry tried to catch up, but even holding me Renesmee was faster than him, and soon, just like she said he would, Embry turned back, cursing colorfully at us as he went. Nessie didn't slow down.

Probably ten minutes later, Nessie stopped. We were on the edge of a huge circular clearing with the mountains miles away in the distance. Nessie put me down and then hopped up in to the tree above us. She ripped off some thick green vines that were wrapping around the branches and pulled them down with her.

"What are those for?" I asked.

"Sorry, Claire," Nessie apologized, pushing me against a tree and starting to tie me tightly to the truck.

"Renesmee!" I gasped.

"It's just too dangerous," She said, getting more vines and trapping me successfully against the tree. When she was finished I could barely move.

"I thought we were friends!"

"We are, that's why I can't let you hurt yourself."

"You _tricked _me."

"You would have done the same to save Quil," She said.

And I couldn't argue. Because I _would _have.

"Sorry," She apologized before leaving me all alone.

_Quil_

My body slid through the dirt like it was made of water and I fell into a small underground cavern. It was a perfect circle, decently large, and probably about nine feet high.

It wasn't dark, like you would expect an underground dirt hole to be, but lit with several lanterns. The pack was beside me, caked with dirt. Probably fifteen feet away, eight pale figures were laying stilly on the ground. It was the Cullens.

"What the?" Austin exclaimed, noticing them at the same time I did.

"Shh! They're sleeping," Jonathan chuckled, stepping in to the light of a nearby lantern.

"What is this?" Leah whispered.

"Get dressed," One of the three remaining vampires spat, nodding his head at our clothes, which were somehow lying on the ground at our feet. "Now," He spat. Kicking Annie out from behind him.

"Listen to him," Annie mumbled weakly.

"Isn't she pretty?" The same vampire asked. It wasn't the mind-controller, but the other one.

"Go to hell, Harry," She hissed.

"I'm half way there," He chuckled. The one who's name was apparently Harry turned back to us. "You aren't getting dressed."

We all got down and started fishing for our shorts and for Mia, her shirt too. But Leah stood her ground and started to shake. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't phase.

"What the hell?" She cursed.

Jonathan appeared in front of her and grabbed her wrist tightly. "This will be a lot easier for everyone if you listen to us."

Leah yanked her now burnt wrist away and found her clothes.

"What did you do to the Cullens?" I asked, trying to sound brave and strong when I felt weak and confused.

"Didn't I already say?" Jonathan asked us genuinely. "They're sleeping. Wouldn't you be tired if you hadn't slept in decades?"

"Vampires don't sleep!" Jamie (aka Captain Obvious) announced.

"Yeah," said the mind controller. "And the ground doesn't swallow people whole."

"Good one, Connor," Harry smirked.

"Yes, yes, we're all _very _funny, are you going to kill us now or what?" I heard Collin's voice, and turned to it. Collin, Seth, Grayson, and Jacob were on the other side of the circle, being guarded by a female vampire who looked like Haley. It _was _Haley.

"You're dead!" Mia exclaimed in disbelief! "I _killed _you!"

"Correction, you _thought _you killed me. Idiot."

"Just let Annie go!" Seth howled. "She has nothing to do with this! She never did anything to you!"

"She hurt my feelings," Jonathan shrugged.

"She's hot," Harry smiled.

"Ew, stay away from me," Annie tried to stand up but he just pushed her back down again, _hard_.

Seth ran to her, and no one stopped him. He pulled Annie in to his arms and held her small frame tightly against him.

"How sweet," Haley pretended to gag. "Puppy love. We should have brought _all _of the girls here. Killing them together would have been so much more fun."

"When is Lilah getting back?" Connor asked his comrades.

"Whenever she's done," Haley said impatiently. "She may have stopped for a snack down on the reservation."

"Whatever. Let's do this," Jonathan growled.

"Before you kill us mercilessly," Mason said, "Could you perhaps tell us what the hell this place is and how it got here?"

"There are some kinds of magic greater in this world than even vampires, you know. Magic that even supernatural beings like us don't fully understand. Magic that can put one of the most powerful covens in the world to sleep for a few hours and ones that can prevent dogs from turning in to dogs. But I wouldn't worry about that now, you have bigger problems."

"So who do we kill first?" Connor asked. "The girl or the leader?" Connor turned to Jacob and smiled. Jacob cringed and I had a pretty good idea of what he was making Jake think about.

"They all like the girl," Jonathan noted. "I have no idea why, though."

Seth growled viciously.

"But," Jonathan wavered. "Killing the leader will crush their spirits."

The earth started to swirl above our heads.

"That'll be Lilah," Connor said.

But it wasn't the blue-haired little vampire we had all been expecting who fell through the ceiling.

It was Renesmee.

_Claire _

Damn Renesmee! Damn her to the deepest fiery pits of hell! She betrayed me! Quil was in trouble and I was just stuck here. I couldn't do _anything._

_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!_

I was unreasonably furious. My mind was all over the place. I was frantic. How Nessie was behaving earlier now made sense to me. I _needed _to get to Quil. If it was the last thing I ever did, I had to reach him.

I wiggled furiously, trying to get out of my green prison. It seemed like the more I struggled, the tighter the vines got.

"Ugh!" I growled.

It was hopeless. Utterly hopeless. Quil…

_Quil_

"Nessie?" Jacob asked uncertainly. Was Haley making us all hallucinate? That couldn't really be her.

Renesmee's head whipped towards the sound of his voice. "Jake," She whimpered. She looked like she was about to run in to his arms, but Jonathan got in the way.

"You," he began, "Must be the beautiful Renesmee."

"Let me through," She demanded.

"You're supposed to be dead."

"Jonathan I swear to God if you _touch _her…" Jacob warned.

Renesmee's eyes filled with fire. "You," She spat, "_You _are Jonathan?"

"That would be me," He nodded.

Renesmee punched him in the face so hard that he staggered back.

"Little bitch," Haley hissed, appearing in front of Nessie and grabbing her by her left wrist, gripping it tightly and causing Renesmee to gasp in pain.

"Be nice, Hale," Jonathan scolded.

"What?" Haley asked in surprise.

"She's going to be hurting enough in a moment." He turned to the one named Harry.

"Harry, she dies first, okay?"

"No," Jacob shouted, shoving Haley and Jonathan to the side and standing protectively in front of Renesmee.

"You have no powers down here, dog," Connor laughed. "How do you plan on protecting her?"

"How did she even get here?" Haley murmured to herself. "She should be dead."

"We'll kill her first, and then the other girl second," Jonathan decided. "Break some hearts."

Renesmee noticed Annie and Seth on the floor a few feet away, and it looked like the girls were having a silent conversation.

"She can't even pass on the gene. It isn't physically possible," Seth said, standing up and pushing Annie behind him.

"Seth, be careful," Annie warned quietly.

"Yeah Seth, be careful," Harry mocked. Harry was Emmet-sized with shadowy skin that showed he once had a much darker complexion. He wasn't attractive like most vampires were, just big and ox-like. He seemed about as smart as an ox, too.

"Shut up," Seth snapped. Harry took a step towards him with presumably painful intentions, but Annie got in between them.

"Do we _have_ to kill the pretty girl?" Harry asked sadly.

Jonathan smiled mischievously. "You can have this girl instead Harry," he offered, motioning towards Renesmee. "She's _much_ prettier."

Harry looked over at Renesmee and smiled. "Can I have them _both_?"

"This is ridiculous. Neither of them are that pretty. Get over it. Now are we snapping some necks or not?" Haley was growing more and more impatient.

_Damn it! _My mind was flooded with nothing but Claire. All different ways Claire could be dying right now. _Claire. Claire. Claire. _Jonathan dragging Claire by her hair by in to the cavern and then sucking her dry. Claire colorless and bloodless at the feet of the Volturi. Claire with Emily's scars on her face.

I was cringing uncontrollably and the others started to notice.

"Connor, stop messing with him," Jonathan scolded.

"It's just so fun. He has a little girlfriend and she keeps dying. It's precious." But he _did _stop. I guess he could read your thoughts when he was controlling them…

"How many have girlfriends, Haley?" Jonathan asked, turning to his second in command (and, from what Haley had said before, maybe his mate.)

She examined us and frowned. "One of the wolves is missing. There was one with a little blonde girl who smelled amazing. Then it's them and them," She motioned towards Seth and Annie and Jake and Nessie, "And him and his human," She nodded her head at me.

Jonathan turned back to Nessie. "Where are the other two girls Renesmee? Are they alive, or dead?"

"I'm not telling you where they are!" She hissed.

"Alive," Jonathan frowned. "Damn it. Where the hell did Lilah go?" Claire was alive. The confirmation was enough to make me breathe a little easier.

"There's another girl too," Haley added. "She was standing by _him_," She pointed at Mason.

"Wait, no! There's been a mistake. That's _his _girlfriend," Mason pointed at Brady. "I'm just the new guy!"

"Either way, she'd going to die and you're going to die so…"

The dirt above us started to swirl again.

"Okay, Lilah better have a damn good explanation for being late and not doing her job," Harry grumbled.

A petite female fell to the ground, but her skin wasn't white and her hair wasn't blue.

No. No. It couldn't be. This was a mind trick.

"Claire?" I asked.

She seemed disoriented, and was still taking in the underground room.

"The girls just keep coming," Connor laughed. "Who needs Lilah?"

Claire turned to look at me and her eyes lit up. She ran in to my arms and hugged me. "You're okay," She murmured.

"What are you doing here, Claire?" I demanded. "Why did you come here, you're so stupid!" I was freaking out inside and out. "Oh my god, fucking Embry. If I ever see him again I'm going to kill him! Are you suicidal?"

"Renesmee was doing it."

"You let her come?" I demanded angrily, looking over at Renesmee.

"She forced me. She wasn't supposed to get in to anything, I tied her to a tree once we got here."

I was shaking so hard that I would have phased by now if I could. How could I get Claire out of here?

"Do you want to die?" I hissed at her. "How could you do this?"

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

"No, Claire! It's too late for sorry. You're going to die and there is nothing I can do!" I was really starting to panic. "Oh God, how could you do this to me? I left you behind for a reason, Claire!"

"This is funny," Connor chuckled.

"If you were dying… I had to die too," Claire admitted.

Oh my God. I was in love with the world's biggest idiot. She was insane! How could Claire do this to herself? Didn't her own beautiful life have _any _meaning to her.

"I love you," She whispered.

"Oh fuck this. No more death threats. The only people dying here are you, you, you, and especially you," I pointed at Connor last.

He laughed again. "Okay," He shrugged. "Come at me. Right now."

"Only if you don't cheat," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"None of you guys can fight a clean game. You all rely on your talents. I bet you weren't put through more than a week of fight training. If you're really so great, don't use your gift."

"You'll still die without your ability to phase."

"Oh really? It sounds to me like you aren't sure."

"I'll prove it to you," Connor boasted.

"Let's go," I said, pushing Claire over to Nolan for safekeeping.

"Quil, what are you doing?" Claire screeched.

"I'm being stupid," I responded, cracking my knuckles and walking away.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jonathan asked Connor.

"Of course. This will be simple."

"If it will be so easy, how about we make it more interesting. Two on one. You can choose anyone to be my partner… Except Claire."

"Fine," Connor said, pointing at Mason. "Fight with the self-proclaimed new guy. It is my understanding that he also is very protective over this girl."

Was he fucking kidding?

"Um, I'm not suicidal," Mason interjected.

"But this may be your only chance to save _her_."

Mason growled in aggravation. "Great job Mason," He growled to himself, stepping forward to stand beside me. "Get yourself killed over a girl who doesn't even like you."

"This is crazy!" Claire complained.

"I agree. Don't do this," Jacob ordered.

But I lunged anyways. Was it insane? Stupid? A death wish? Yes.

I was much slower than him of course, and he side-stepped easily. Mason tried to get his arms on him, but Connor knocked him off to the side.

"What is your plan if you _do_ catch me?" He chuckled.

I hadn't really thought about that one…

"Princess? Please tell me you thought this out," Mason begged unenthusiastically.

"Not entirely," I admitted.

"Greeeeeeat," Mason commented sarcastically.

I tried to jump on Connor again but he hit me hard, knocking the wind out of me. Probably a broken rib.

Claire screamed.

"Someone do something!" She begged.

"No, he wants to fight, he'll fight," Jonathan said without room for protest.

Mason almost got his hands on him, but Connor smacked him away. This resulted in giving Mason a bloody nose. "If I wouldn't have saved your ass earlier I wouldn't be in this situation," He complained. "This is why I don't do remotely nice things!"

Connor hit me again, this time sending me flying back. I landed near Claire, who was still trapped in Nolan's arms.

"Quil, baby, stop fighting!" She begged, her voice choked with tears. I hopped up and kissed her quickly on the lips before throwing myself back at Connor. Sure, even in human form, werewolves were strong… but not as strong as a full-fledged vampire. Was Connor even trying?

After a few more beatings for me and Mason, I finally got a lucky hit that knocked Connor back a bit. Mason managed to get his arms around her, but he brushed Mason off easily.

Something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. It was Annie. She had crawled over to where the Cullens were asleep on the ground and was trying to shake them awake. Harry noticed too.

"Oh no you don't!" he said, rushing to her and picking her up by the collar of her shirt.

"Let go of me," She thrashed wildly. And then all hell broke loose.

Seth snatched Annie out of his grip and the two teamed up to fight him. Grayson and Collin jumped on their guard and attempted to get Haley to the ground. Jacob and Jonathan started to fight, and the second Jonathan put a venomous hand on Jake, Nessie went in to vampire attack mode. Danny and Mia tried to help Mason, and Brady joined Collin and Grayson. Austin was trying to wake up the Cullens like Annie had been. The others were trying to find a way out through the ceiling. I was surprised when Claire ended back up in my arms.

"I can't believe you! You _idiot!_" She exclaimed. "I am _soooo_ mad at you!"

"Likewise," I told her, bending down and kissing her on the lips quickly again.

_ How am I supposed to get her out of here?_

Things were looking bad. Annie and Nessie were more focused on protecting their men than killing their vampire opponents, and the vampires were using their powers to their advantage.

It was hopeless. We were all going to die in a fucking hole and it was raining!

_Wait… what? _

I looked up at the ceiling just as another water droplet plopped down on my face. As everyone started to feel the drops, they froze, and it had nothing to do with Harry's ability to freeze people.

The roof of the cavern started to sink as the amount of rain leaking through increased.

"Impossible," Jonathan breathed.

In less than thirty seconds, the hole collapsed.

_Claire_

When the roof of the magical cavern collapsed, I knew I was dead. Thick, heavy mud poured down on me and knocked me away from the safety of Quil's arms. The mud was everywhere. I couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything except try not to swallow any. I was suffocating under gallons and gallons of wet earth, I had no way of locating Quil, and I was dead for sure.

I had always heard suffocating to death was like drowning. I had nearly drowned once, when I was seven. I was the only one of my friends at school who couldn't swim. Quil had offered to teach me, but I was too embarrassed, and had decided I was going to teach myself. This seemed foolproof, until I was actually in the water. The tide was coming in and the water was too rough for my seven year old self to handle. Then I started to panic, and went under. Every time my lungs begged for air, I was unable to give it to them. My chest heaved painfully and horrible gagging sounds were coming from my mouth. Eventually I couldn't take it and inhaled hugely, swallowing salt water and choking even worse. The only reason I hadn't died that day was my knight in shining armor, Quil. When Emily couldn't find me Quil had started to search frantically and came across my bike at "Our Spot" on the beach. He dove in to the violent ocean and pulled me to safety.

But Quil wasn't around now. He couldn't save me. And I was seven years old again. Drowning in the water and mud, gagging and choking and feeling like I was going to black out. I had to reach the surface.

_But which way is up?_

I thrashed wildly, reaching for something I may never find. But if I didn't find it in time, I could die in peace. Quil had surely made it to the above world. He was safe. He could defend himself and he would get away. Quil would live. That was all that mattered.

I stopped struggling, for I didn't want to die like a frantic fool. I would die calmly and peacefully.

_Peace. Calm. Content… Quil. _

_ Quil!_

What was I doing? What was I thinking? I couldn't die. Not now. Not at the bottom of this fucking mud pit when I could be on the surface with the love of my life. He needed me. He was probably worried. He loved me.

I couldn't do this to him. I couldn't let myself die. The man who loved me most in the world needed me to live.

Just as I was hit with this epiphany to end all epiphanies, a pair of ice cold hands found my arms and yanked me upward.

Seconds later my face felt a rush of air and I was deposited on solid ground. I was doubled over gasping for air and couching up mud instantly. The mud… it didn't taste much better coming up than it had going down.

"Claire? Are you okay?" I heard a voice ask, but it sounded slow and distant. Everything seemed unreal. The voices sounded far away and my vision was dim and blurred. But even with my cloudy eyesight, I observed two figures in front of me. One was vampire pale (but still slightly olive colored) with hair that looked black but had so much mud in it that it was hard to be sure. I recognized this to be my savior. The other figure was emitting heat, and their hands were gripping my shoulders tightly. Their skin was much darker than the other figure's, and their was something about the figure that was incredibly familiar to me.

"Quil?" I mumbled detachedly.

"I'm right here, baby. Breathe!" Quil demanded.

I barely remembered how. Suddenly his mouth was on mine, but he wasn't kissing me. He had plugged my nose and was breathing in to my mouth. CPR.

Things started to sharpen. When I wrapped my arms around Quil and stuck my tongue in his mouth, he knew I was okay and smiled in to my mouth.

"Quil," The other voice, which was definitely Annie's reminded.

He pulled away and stood up. "Right," he nodded. Quil looked down at me apologetically.

"Claire, don't move. And close your eyes."

"Whe–Where are you going?" I asked frantically.

"It's not over yet, baby."

I looked around and he was right. The field was in chaos. On the surface, the pack was able to phase and were at all-out war with the remaining vampires. The Cullens had been fished out of the mud pit, and were beginning to stir.

Quil flung off his shorts and phased before I had time to close my eyes. Seeing it up close was a lot worse than seeing him phase as he disappeared in to his trees that night he almost kissed me. There is nothing in the world like seeing the man you love explode in to a massive brown wolf. Even worse than that was watching him throw himself into battle. Annie ran after him, leaving me alone at the rim of the mud pool.

It was too late to close my eyes now. I kept them on my Quil, unable to look away. He was still fighting the blonde one who he had fought in the pit. I wasn't sure what his power was, but whatever it was seemed to be internal. It was a mind attack probably, and Quil kept cringing, but he fought on anyways. Fighting alongside Quil was a slightly smaller white wolf and an almost black one. I would have tired to remember the fur colors for each pack member (Quil had told them to me before) but the other wolves weren't Quil, so they didn't matter.

I didn't even look away when the blonde vampire was ripped to pieces and thrown in to a fire that I'm not sure who started, but was managing to stay lit despite the rain.

Was it terrifying? Yes. Immensely. Any fantasy I ever had of being a supernatural being vanished. Maybe it was better being a human after all.

"Hello." Scratch that. Humans are defenseless. Haley had hopped over the mud pool and landed right in front of me, her red hair burning brighter than any fire ever could. I screamed in surprise. Haley never got the opportunity to lay a hand on me though. The charcoal and black colored wolf got her from behind and surprised her, sinking its teeth into her back. Quil was there in an instant too, and dragged Haley off. Haley died with a look of true surprise on her face.

The ox-like vampire was battling the sandy colored one. Based on the fact that Annie was hanging close by, I assumed that this wolf was Seth. One of the smaller wolves, a gray one, was fighting alongside him. But the gray one (who was possibly Leah) stepped to the side and let Seth kill the vampire himself, which seemed to satisfy him.

Lastly, there was the leader. He was standing less than twenty feet away from me. This was the venom-skinned one. _Jonathan? _

Jonathan was taking on the entire pack. His skin was secreting so much venom that I could _see _a haze floating around him. Renesmee and Annie were the only ones who could touch him without getting hurt, but that didn't seem to stop everyone else in the pack from trying. Howls of pain were ringing out from everyone.

"Give it up!" Annie hissed, pushing him in to the ground, "You. Lose."

"I may lose the battle, but the Volturi _will _win the war. And… I can claim this one small victory." And then Annie went flying all the way across the field and landed out of sight in the trees. The sandy wolf, who was most definitely Seth, howled in agony and bounded after her.

Jonathan hopped up and clasped his hands around the russet wolf's neck. Renesmee screamed. Must be Jacob.

If I was close, I'm sure I would have heard the sound of his skin sizzling. Jacob was howling and choking and gasping. Then Nessie smiled, which I found really creepy and strange, and reached in to her back pocket. Then she smiled even more.

What the hell?

"Hey Jonathan?" He didn't turn around to face her. He didn't see her pull a lighter out of her muddy sweats. But I'm sure he felt the heat as she lit him on fire. He screamed and released Jacob, trying to pat the fire out but just making it worse.

"That's what it feels like to burn," I heard her say, dropping the lighter on the ground and watching him burn with eyes as cold as ice.

When he was gone, a celebratory howl rang through the pack. But Renesmee wasn't celebrating, she had turned to face Jacob, and I'm not sure because of the rain, but it looked like she was crying. I couldn't blame her. I would probably be crying too, if I could.

The members of the pack started to phase back, and this time I managed to close my eyes. When I opened them again, human-Quil was standing anxiously a few feet in front of me.

"You don't need to be afraid of me, Claire," he said slowly with his arms out in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you. Please don't be afraid of me."

Afraid? Of Quil?

Never.

I jumped up and flung myself in to his arms, kissing him wildly. He was okay. I was okay._ We _were okay. I kissed him with all of the love and passion I could manage. How could he ever think that I could possible be afraid of him?

"Never ever leave me again," I ordered when I finally had to pull away from air.

"Never ever," He promised.

**Author's Note: This was the longest chapter guys. Over 6,000 words. For those of you who were curious, the second longest chapter is Dick and Princess. The next chapter will be the last chapter in Part One. Part Two will be released very soon afterwards. Also, who else is excited for Breaking Dawn? I know I'm not the only one going to the midnight showing. Also, in the final fight sequence, the white wolf is Mia, the almost black one is Nolan, and the charcoal and black one is Grayson. I'm hoping the last chapter will be up this weekend but I haven't even started it yet, so it may be Thanksgiving break. Love you all. Show me that you love me too and REVIEW!**


	25. Sorry Not Sorry

**Author's Note: I now present to you the last chapter of Part I of Quil and Claire. It would mean the world to me if I could get 10 reviews on this chapter. I don't think that is too much to ask for, is it? There will be plenty for you to review about, I promise! If you really want to enhance the reading experience, listen to the song "Cold" from the Breaking Dawn soundtrack during the 3rd and 4th point of views. That is all I have to say… Enjoy. **

_Eliza _

So here's my day in recap:

I had to get up at the crack of dawn to go somewhere I didn't want to go to be protected from something I didn't need protection from. I got publicly humiliated by Brady, who decided to kiss me in front of _everyone_. My life was threatened by some creepy half-leech who tried to bite me. And now I was sitting bored and disgusted in a chair across from the world's most obnoxious secret lovebirds.

We had switched locations to the Cullens' house, because Embry didn't think Jake and Nessie's house was safe anymore. Not that this place was any safer, but I wasn't going to put up an argument with the mood he was in.

Lilly was trying to soothe the fire inside of Embry, which seemed like a waste of time because Embry practically had smoke coming out of his ears and the chance of him cooling off was sitting at right about zero.

Yes, I was mad too. Claire left me behind! But I was also kind of scared for her. This was serious business. She could die. I know that sisters always say that their sister is an idiot… But Claire_ was _an idiot.

"Why would they do that?" Embry ranted, still on his rampage.

"Embry–" Lilly tried.

"They are going to die! And then I'm going to die because if Quil and Jake are alive they are going to kill me! I let my best friends' imprints run to their deaths!"

"Embry–"

"I should have known Nessie would do something like this! God, that girl is fucking crazy! She needs to go to a god damned mental hospital!"

"Embry, calm down."

"I am calm!" He yelled.

"Don't yell at me," She snapped.

Embry's face fell and he nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." He bit his lip for a moment and then put his hands on her shoulders and looked in to her eyes. "Lilly, promise me that you'll never do that. It doesn't matter if I'm fucking dying. Never come after me, okay?"

Lilly didn't say anything.

"Okay?" Embry asked more frantically.

Lilly still didn't say anything.

"Lilly, promise me!" He shook her lightly, a pathetically desperate look in his eyes.

"You know I can't promise that," She said, so quietly that I wasn't sure I heard her right.

Embry narrowed his eyes at her.

"I mean… you're my best friend," Lilly peaked over at me and corrected herself, "my best _guy _friend. And if I thought there was something I could do to help–"

Embry looked even angrier than he had five minutes ago. "I mean it Lilly! God, why don't girls ever care about themselves?"

"It's not a low self-esteem thing if that's what you're implying," I muttered. Embry turned to look at me confusedly, like he had forgotten I was in the room.

_It's only girls who are sickeningly in love, _I added silently, wishing that Embry could read minds.

Embry didn't respond and returned his attention back to Lilly. After a second he realized his hands were still tightly gripping her shoulders and he blushed, releasing her immediately.

Imprinting was stupid.

A minute later Embry stiffened and stood up. "They're back," He announced.

"Claire and Nessie?" Lilly asked hopefully.

"All of them," He said before storming out of the front door.

"You're back, how wonderful," Embry said bitterly, stomping down the stairs to the ground.

I got up and decided to see how this was going to play out, Lilly followed behind me.

"Embry, don't start. We're alive, aren't we?" I heard Renesmee ask.

"Oh, look. Jacob's alive too! Peachy! And hey Claire, Quil is okay! I'm thrilled this worked out for everyone," Embry said with heavy sarcasm. "Good thing you saved them."

I slipped through the door now with Lilly peeking out behind me but neither of us said anything.

Everyone was below, and I was surprised to see how dirty they all were. The Cullens, the pack, even Claire. They were all decorated with thick, dark mud.

"Why did you let her out of your sight?" Jacob demanded.

"Out of my sight?" Embry almost laughed. "Jacob, I'm sorry but your wife is a nut job. She needs help. Professional help."

Even from the front door I heard the mind reading Cullen growl. Apparently Daddy wasn't too pleased with Embry's description of Nessie.

"Shut up, Embry," Jake growled.

"You wouldn't know Jacob. She's perfectly sane around _you_. But when you're gone she completely unravels. She was a zombie at first and then she was screaming and kicking and trying to reach you and then she decided to rope Claire in to some little _scheme_," Embry's voice was almost acidic.

"You hit me!" Renesmee screeched.

"You deserved it," He snapped back.

If Jacob was angry at Embry before… Well that was nothing compared to now. It took Jacob a spilt second to lose his skin and become a wolf, and even less time to jump on Embry. A second later, Embry phased too.

That was the first time I ever saw a wolf phase. But I knew, deep down, that it wouldn't be the last.

I wished it could be…

I now understood why Lilly was thankful she'd never seen anyone in wolf form except Embry. It was kind of frightening (even though I would never admit it).

Speaking of Lilly, she was now half way down the stairs running towards them. Her and Renesmee together tried to calm the usually best friends down. I wasn't sure what Jake and Embry were saying to each other, but there was a lot of growling and jaw snapping.

The doctor stepped forward and took over, and with the help of the big one, the blonde guy, and the mind reader, they were able to pull Jacob off of Embry. "Calm down, Jake," Renesmee begged. "You're injured and so is he. And ripping his head off isn't going to solve anything."

Lilly looked horror-stricken, but she was petting Embry like nothing was wrong.

"I'll go get the boys some clothes," the motherly vampire announced, flying up the stairs and breezing right past me.

The Cullen men seemed to think Jacob was calm enough, because they released him and Renesmee was stroking his face gently. I saw her lips moving but couldn't hear what she was saying to him.

Momma Vamp returned a few seconds later with shorts that were probably kept at the house for situations like this. Embry and Jacob went their separate ways and returned a minute later in human form. The first thing Jacob did was pull Renesmee in to his arms and kiss her lovingly. Then he glared at Embry over her shoulder.

"How about we all go inside and have a chat, okay?" The doctor offered.

"Carlisle, no one is stepping a muddy foot on my clean floors," Momma Vamp told him.

"Okay, dear," Carlisle said. "We'll just talk out here."

And so the story began. One of the Cullens, the dark-haired Swan girl, began by explaining what had happened to them on the field. Apparently, there was this magical underground cavern in the middle of the field and they got sucked in to it. This was also the space in which the other vampires had been hiding out for the past couple days. When they heard the pack approaching, the evil coven somehow rose to the surface. Then the story telling switched over to Jacob, as he explained to the Cullens a bit about the battle. None of it was terribly interesting if you ask me. (But no one did, of course. I was just an invisible non-imprinted bratty human girl sitting the top of the stairs)

"And then Annie showed up and was like WHAM! Buffy the Vampire Slayer!" Collin exclaimed excitedly.

"Buffy? Really?" Annie rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fine. She was like 'You can't hurt me! I'm a ninja!'" Collin corrected.

"Why is _he_ telling the story?" Mia complained.

"Because I'm awesome," He shoved her lightly.

"Okay, so Annie shows up and?" Carlisle prompted.

"And then Connor mind attacked Grayson and we all found out that–"

Grayson interrupted, growling something that sounded like "Shut up."

After that, it was a few more minutes of recap and the whole: "Oh no! Where did they go? Embry go check on the girls!" part.

"And we've already went over what happened while Embry was _supposed _to be keeping an eye on the girls," Quil reminded bitterly.

"I _was _watching them!" Embry yelled.

That wasn't entirely true. He was watching Lilly. The rest of us were just there.

So the story was completed. Claire and Nessie showed up, the rain flooded the cavern and freed everyone, the remaining vampires were killed, and who woulda thunk it, Renesmee actually _did_ save Jacob.

"We forgot the part where Nessie lied to me and tied me to a tree," Claire added.

Renesmee shrugged and shot Claire an apologetic smile, but Claire wasn't looking particularly forgiving.

"Okay, so Claire got tied to a tree. The end," Brady finished.

"And Eliza's life was threatened by vampire," I grumbled to myself, "Not like _that_ matters."

Everyone turned to me and looked at me like they were just noticing or just remembering that I existed.

"What?" Quil asked.

"A rather large chunk of the story is missing is all I'm saying."

"What chunk?" Seth asked uncertainly.

"Well us girls weren't exactly painting each other's nails before Embry showed up."

Mind Reader's eyes widened as he listened in on my thoughts.

_Finally some attention! _

"What are you talking about, Liza?" Jacob questioned.

"Ask your wife, man. She was there too."

Jacob turned to Nessie. "What is she talking about baby?"

"Nothing," Renesmee replied sharply. "Absolutely nothing."

"You can't hide it from him, he's going to find out, Ness," Annie said softly.

"Someone please tell me what we're missing," Quil implored. Everyone turned to Nessie expectantly.

"Fine!" Renesmee yelled. "Nahuel! Nahuel was here. He tried to take me but gave up and left and it's really no big deal. There, happy?"

Jacob started shaking so badly I was sure that he was going to phase again, but he gained control at the last minute.

The Nahuel thing was explained for a short while longer and then the conversation died. We had probably been outside talking for close to an hour.

Carlisle did a brief check up on the pack. Jacob, Seth, and Leah had the worst burns from the venom-skinned vampire, but there was nothing Carlisle could do about those. Leah's wrists were burnt and crushed from when the coven leader had apparently grabbed hold of them, Carlisle did what he could to help her hands heal properly. Seth must have thrown himself at the venom guy several times, because his entire body was covered with the blistering red burns. Jacob had vivid burns that resembled hands across his neck and collar area, and I wondered if maybe he had been choked.

Quil had a broken leg that was already healing and a few cracked ribs that would fix themselves as long as he didn't phase for a few days and didn't over exert himself.

Most of the other pack members just looked like they got in a wrestling match with an elephant and were told to go home and rest.

Except Embry. His injuries had been bad to start with, and his phasing and fighting Jacob had only made things worse. _Shocker…_

During the fight, the only one of the vampires I had actually seen, Haley, had picked him up and slammed him hard in to the ground. This had broken his collar bone, his left leg, and shattered the bones in his right arm. He also had two broken ribs and two more cracked ones. Carlisle was having him stay the night and Lilly refused to leave his side.

Then, slowly, everyone started to go their separate ways.

"Come on little bro, let's go get some food," Nolan said, clapping Jamie hard on the back.

"Mom's probably worried sick," Leah commented to Seth. "I'm going to go see her. Don't worry, I'll tell her you're okay." She gave Annie a hug and peaked quickly at Grayson before running off. Seth and Annie left soon after, with him holding on to her tightly.

Grayson didn't say anything. Just left. Austin, Danny, Mia, Collin and (thank God) Brady left too. I hadn't seen Mason go, but when I looked around, he was gone.

Renesmee gave her family hugs and then returned to Jacob and they headed for home.

Slowly, I started to make my way down the front steps. "Can we leave?" I asked as I approached Quil and Claire.

Claire looked up at Quil for his answer and he nodded. "Yeah," He said, "Let's go home."

_Claire _

The second Eliza was dropped off at home, I knew I was in for it. Almost in slow motion, Quil turned to glare at me in such an intense way that I felt the urge to jump out of the truck and run.

"So I guess I'm not off the hook yet, huh?" I asked with a nervous giggle.

He shook his head no once.

"I'm really sorry," I tried as Quil started to drive again.

"You could have died."

"I know."

"You're just a human."

"I know."

"You scared the hell out of me, Claire. I thought I was going to lose you."

"I wasn't thinking."

"No, you weren't."

"Well, I mean… I _was_ thinking. Thinking about you. Nahuel said that you were all doomed and I…" I trailed off, figuring I wasn't really helping my case.

Quil exhaled heavily, but didn't say anything for the remainder of the short trip to his house. When we arrived, Quill came around and pulled me from my seat. He kept me in his arms and proceeded to carry me to the front door.

"You shouldn't do that. Your leg–"

"I'm fine, Claire," He said tiredly.

Then I didn't talk, because I was scared that saying anything would just make Quil angrier. I'd really fucked up today, and paid the price for it, too. Seeing Quil try and fight that vampire without phasing was the most horrifying moment of my life. Why had he done that? Was that his way of getting back at me for endangering my life? He had to endanger his, too? I knew that he was in more pain from that than he let on, but I didn't bring it up.

"If I would have known that coming after you would make you hate me I never would have done it," I mumbled as he sat me down on his bed.

Quil looked surprised at my assumption. "You really think I could hate you? You know how much I love you, Claire. Or at least, I hope you do."

"Well you're pissed off, at least," I corrected, looking down at my feet.

"Claire, you just terrify me, that's all. You are my most sacred treasure, but you're also my biggest fear. I would have rather taken on the entire coven by myself then have you there. And then, when the vampires didn't kill you, you decided to just eliminate yourself and drown and I was _freaking out_."

"Why do you say things like that?" I frowned. "It's not funny. I couldn't even watch you fight _one _of them."

"Why do I say things like that? Well Claire, you may be crazy or suicidal or just plain idiotic, but I love the shit out of you anyways. You're my life and I'd do anything for you."

I cracked a smile. "Anything?"

"Anything," He nodded.

"Then kiss me," I demanded greedily, beckoning towards him with my index finger.

"Don't need to ask me twice," He breathed, crashing his lips against mine.

And with that kiss, all of the day's tension didn't matter anymore.

I was safe.

Quil was safe.

I loved Quil.

Quil loved me.

_Quil loved me._

I crawled on top of him and planted kisses all over his face. At the same time, I let a hand slide down his chest and to the button of his shorts.

"What are you doing?" He asked hesitantly, a small smile on his face.

"We're all muddy, I think we need to take a shower."

"Together?"

I nodded slowly, biting my lip and then kissing him again.

Realization washed over his face.

"Claire, no. Last night… and… and birth control… and…"

I ignored him, undoing the button and tugging his jeans a little way down his waist. Despite what he was saying, I could see the bulge in his pants.

"I don't think your body agrees with your brain, Quil," I giggled, pulling his shorts down a little further.

"Well, _he _has a mind of his own," Quil said, pulling his shorts back up.

I leaned my head down and kissed his bulge through his shorts. Quil hissed through his teeth.

"Claire, I'm serious. No."

"Fine," I pouted, sitting back up. "But I'm still taking a shower, I'm covered in dirt."

I tried to not smirk as I got up and pulled my shirt over my head and let it fall to the floor. Then I kicked off my jeans. Quil was staring at me, and I saw he was gripping the sheets tightly. He obviously wanted me.

_Stupid stubborn responsible boy! _

"Can't you at least come in the shower with me?" I pleaded, taking off my bra and adding it to the pile of clothes at me feet. "We don't need to have sex, but I don't want to be away from you."

He looked at me skeptically, like he didn't trust me to not jump on him and rape him once we were inside the shower.

To help him make a decision, I removed my last stitch of clothing, my underwear.

Quil was practically drooling at this point, and the bulge in his pants was really making itself known.

"Fine, but _no_ sex."

I smiled and ran over to kiss him.

I asked Quil if I could take his pants off for him, but he wouldn't let me anywhere near the loser half of his body.

"It's not that I don't want to, Claire," He explained as we stepped inside the shower. "It's just that it was bad enough we had unprotected sex last night, and I don't want to increase the chances of you… ya know…"

"Getting pregnant?" I finished.

He nodded.

I let my hand find its way to Quil's very hard member.

"What are you doing?" He asked in an uneven voice.

"Relax, Quil. It's not like I can get pregnant from touching you."

"No, it's what comes after the touching!"

"Well then we'll just have to stick with the touching," I told him, running my hand up and down his shaft.

"Oh fuck!" Quil growled.

"And you didn't want to take a shower…" I giggled, squeezing gently.

"Holy shit," He growled.

Then I stopped touching him and stepped in closer to him, bringing my lips as close to his ear as possible and whispering "Take me."

Quil grabbed my hand and tried to bring it back down but I refused.

"If you want more, you're going to have to take me."

"Why are you doing this to me, Claire? I'm trying to be the responsible one here!"

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm really not," I giggled, getting down on my knees. I looked up at Quil and saw his eyes widen as I grabbed hold of his dick again and brought it to my face. Then, oh so gently, I brushed my tongue across the head.

"Damn it," Quil growled, scooping me up off of the shower floor and pushing my back against the cool tile wall.

Last night, Quil had been gentle with me, always going slowly and being as gentle as possible. Tonight was different.

Quil seemed less afraid of hurting me. He only asked me if I was okay forty-two times. He was also a lot rougher than last night but was still unbelievably passionate. It was hard and passionate and desperate and magical.

I know it sounds corny… or hormonal… but I was pretty sure that sex with Quil was the best thing in the world.

_As long as I'm not pregnant, _I thought.

Tonight would have to be the last night we did this until I was on birth control.

Or maybe Quil could just run to the store and get condoms tomorrow…

I liked that idea better.

"I love you, Claire," He breathed in my ear, sending chills down my spine.

"The feeling is mutual," I giggled, kissing him again. It had been a crazy week, but now, I could confidently say that everything was perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

_Eliza _

The afternoon sun was harsh, which surprised me. It may have been the brightest, sunniest day I had ever seen.

_How unfitting of my mood, _I thought pessimistically.

How was I spending the sunniest day of the year? Not with my best friend. She was babying her precious Embry.

_Gag! _

Not at the beach, that just uprooted too many Brady memories.

_Gag! Again! _

Not with my sister. She was too busy jumping Quil's bones.

_Gaaaaaaaaaag! _

No, none of that. I was lying in bed, pretending to still be asleep in hopes that I would actually doze off. Unfortunately, I was too frustrated with life to sleep. So instead I was in bed at noon doing absolutely _nothing_.

The only thing entertaining me were my thoughts, which were more a form of torture than anything else. My memories of yesterday.

_Hey, brain. Go away! _

_ If I left then you would die, stupid._

_ Don't get technical with me!_

When I started to yell at myself in my head I knew it was time to go outside and take a walk, because the house obviously didn't have enough oxygen inside of it.

The day was surprisingly warm, too, and everyone in the area was probably at the beach right now.

Good. I didn't want to run in to anybody. Once I was out of the house I walked in the exact opposite direction of the shore, walking parallel to the edge of the forest.

It didn't take me long to realize that I was being followed.

_Perfect, _I thought negatively. _Just what I needed._

"Go away, Brady," I groaned.

"I'm not Brady," Brady's voice responded from somewhere not too deep in the forest.

"I'm serious, get lost. I don't want to put up with you." Brady's head popped out from behind a tree about fifteen feet to my right.

"Hey, I'm doing important werewolf business right now!" Brady defended.

"No, you're following me," I corrected agitatedly.

"Nooooo," Brady said, looking down at his feet. "I, um, wanted to talk to you."

"Well I don't want to talk to you. So fuck off."

"Is this about yesterday?" He asked hesitantly from behind the tree. "Because if it is, don't expect an apology. I'm not sorry."

"You're going to be," I threatened quietly.

"Sorry? For how I feel about you? I don't think that's possible." A second later he was in front of me, his eyes boring in to mine. I knew what that look meant.

"Don't even try," I snapped. It was quiet for a moment. How was I going to shake him?

"It would never work, Brady. You know why? Because I can't stand you. You are a nothing but a pain," I said in a low voice.

"It would be easier to believe you felt that way if it was true. Which it isn't. I know you have to feel something, Liza. When you kiss me back, you feel _something_. You may not want to, but you _do_."

"Or maybe I'm just a tease," I breathed, stepping closer and wrapping my arms lightly around his neck, pulling him down and getting on my toes. Our faces were inches apart but I didn't stop there. I kept going until our foreheads and noses were touching and I could taste his breath in my mouth. "What? Is this what you want Brady?" I got even closer to where the next words I spoke made my lips brush against his. "You want to kiss me so badly right now, don't you?"

He didn't say anything, but his breathing was heavy.

I kissed him lightly on the lips and then giggled cruelly. "Never talk to me again," I said heartlessly, pulling away and turning back towards home without another word.

And for once, Brady didn't try to follow.

_Mason _

La Push was such a stupid fucking place. Why would anyone want to live here? Why had my mom ever decided to come back to this hell on Earth? All there was to do in this damn place was fall stupidly all over gorgeous girls who didn't give a shit about you and realize just how much people dislike you.

Oh, and nearly get yourself killed helping out people you hate more than almost anyone else in the world.

And get reminded of my father, who I hated most of all.

When I met Claire, I thought maybe I could really like this place. I could give that beautiful girl a reason to smile again. She had left a mark on me no other person had ever left. I wanted to know her. The instant I saw her, even though all she was doing was crying her eyes out over a tombstone, I knew that she was special. After talking to her I had also discovered that she was smart and witty and kind and friendly. And she was breathtakingly beautiful in her own special way, but I had known that upon seeing her.

Things went downhill constantly after I met her, and the fucked up shit in my life was just snowballing. Getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

I'm not even sure what had inspired Mom to bury my father in La Push. He hadn't died there and he had only lived there for a short time. Maybe because she knew if he was buried anywhere near me I would dig him up and leave him for the birds.

I always knew that my father would make my life hell even in death. It was his fault that I phased.

No, that's a lie. It was Mom's fault.

But maybe it was really my grandfather's fault.

Hell, it was probably fucking Quil Ateara's fault. Why not, right? He had ruined everything else in my life.

Once I phased, life went to pure hell. My new "brothers" were a bunch of idiots whose lives revolved around their girlfriends.

Quil was my least-favorite from the get-go. And then I found out that Claire, the only good thing in the entire state of Washington, belonged to someone else. Belonged to _him_. And I wasn't even allowed to do anything about it.

Now, maybe other people (sane people) would cut their losses and give up. But I couldn't. Even when Claire straight up told me that she was in love with Quil. Even when Claire stopped talking to me. Quil had her under his spell, and she might have been too far down the road to ever be rescued, but I couldn't give up on her.

But I had tried everything. I had tried talking to her. Sending her a note. I tried to force her to see what I saw (That was the least successful, and resulted in a couple punches to the face). I tried to make her jealous. I tried to show her I was a good guy by saving her boyfriend's stupid ass in battle.

But now I just couldn't do it anymore. The rejection was too painful. There was nothing here for me.

Not my mother. Not my loyalty to my pack. Not my only friend, Danny. Not even Claire.

_Everyone would be better off without me anyways, _I told myself as I rushed through the Canadian wilderness.

I wasn't sure where I was going, but anywhere was better than that little reservation on the shore.

**End of Part I**


	26. Part II: One Month

_Eliza _

One month.

That's how long it had been since the battle.

That's how long Mason had been gone.

That's how long it had been since I last spoke to Brady Fuller.

School was starting up again in a week. I was starting my first year at Forks High School. I'd been going to school in Forks ever since sixth grade, because that was where Lilly lived. I had always said how much I hated school, but now I couldn't wait to go back and leave this terrible summer behind me.

I could finally return to normal.

But what _was _normal for me?

I didn't even remember.

You know when you hang out with friends that you haven't seen in a long time and realize that you don't have as much in common as you used to, and you wonder if you changed or if they did?

That was what it was like for me.

I was at the beach with two girls who I had been friends with ever since sixth grade. Gaby and Camille. They were both Forks girls who liked drama and got in to trouble even more than I did. (But that was simply because I was better at not getting caught.) We had bonded over pranking the volleyball team and spying on the girls who liked to talk trash about each other in the girls' bathroom.

Lilly didn't like them much. She thought they were shallow and stupid. And honesty, I didn't disagree with her…

Right now shallow and stupid was what I_ thought _I needed. Some immature girls who loved drama and gossip seemed like a good distraction from the world that I lived in. But all it was doing in reality was pissing me off. _I should have just called Lilly instead. _

"So I hear that Cassie isn't coming back to school," Camille announced with an evil smile.

"What? Why?" Gaby gasped excitedly.

"Sarah told me that Craig heard from Rodney that she's pregnant!"

"No way! What a slut!" Gaby squealed. I rolled my eyes.

"And _guess_ who the father is?"

"Who?" Gaby asked frantically, hitting Camille's arm.

"Coach. Fall."

Gaby squealed again, and my ears felt like they were going to bleed.

"Coach Fall is married, and Cassie hates his class. Why would she ever be pregnant with his child?" I asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

"I don't know, maybe you should ask Cassie," Camille offered, curling a lock of chocolate brown hair around her finger. I just rolled my eyes again.

"Damn, why don't we come to this beach more often? Quileute guys are so hot!" Gaby giggled, staring across the beach. I followed her eyes to see who she was talking about.

_Of course. _

"Oh. My. GOD! Who is_ he_?" Camille inquired, her mouth hanging open.

"Stupid," I replied.

"No, what's his name?" Camille asked.

"Brady Fuller," I grumbled quietly. Even though he was down the beach a ways, I knew he could hear us perfectly. He smirked at the sound of his name and continued kicking at the sand, but now I noticed him flexing and "showing off" his muscles discreetly. He was in only his shorts, looking out at the ocean like he didn't know we were talking about him. I couldn't even think of a mean word to describe him. And I _excel_ at saying mean things! Stupid-fucking-werewolf-boy was the only word that came to mind.

"I want to marry that boy," Gaby announced.

"You can marry him, just let me take him to my room first," Camille smiled mischievously.

_Gross. _

"He's annoying," I informed them.

"You know him?" Gaby smiled excitedly.

"Unfortunately."

"You're such a bitch, Liza. You've got all of these sexy boys in La Push that you aren't sharing with us!" Camille laughed.

Brady looked like he was trying not to laugh. _Oh God, someone shoot me! _

I was trying to forget all about Brady, not talk about him with my friends. This was why I only ever hung out with Lilly, she knew better than to bring up Brady around me. Too bad Lilly and I weren't really talking as of late, because I needed her right then.

"You can have them. All of them."

"Do you think you could get your friend Brady to ask me out?" Gaby asked.

"A; he's not my friend. At all. Never. B; he's too old for you," I snapped.

"How old?"

"Older than you," I replied, the annoyance in my voice now ringing clear.

"No one is too old for _me_," Camille winked.

"I'm pretty sure he already likes a girl," I added.

"Well screw her! She's not here right now, now is she?" Camille said.

_If only they knew…_

At that moment, Brady casually looked around the beach. He pretended to be surprised when he noticed me, even though he had checked me out from the corner of his eye at least eight times. I wanted to flip him off, but that wouldn't be very lady like.

"Oh my God, he sees you! Call him over here!" Gaby hit my arm. Hard.

"Me and Brady don't really talk."

"Well then we'll do all the talking," Gaby insisted. She was such a flirt.

I glared at him, but beckoned him over anyways. Of course he came.

"Hey Liza," he said when he reached us. "Long time no see."

"I'm Camille," Camille announced.

"And I'm Gaby," Gaby added.

_Did they realize what fools they were making of themselves? _

"Hey," Brady smiled, running a hand through his short black hair. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Gaby giggled.

"So, are you having a good day?" Camille asked.

"How can you not have a good day when you're in the presence of pretty girls," Brady said, looking directly at me.

Camille and Gaby giggled.

"Exactly," Camille smiled.

"So why are you all alone at the beach?" Gaby questioned.

"Well why not? There's nothing better to do. My friends are all either… _out _or spending time with their girlfriends."

"Well why aren't you spending time with _your_ girlfriend?" Camille asked, taking a tiny step closer and wearing her best flirty face. "You don't have a special someone?"

"No," Brady answered, his words seeming to hit me directly.

"I'm single too!" Gaby blurted out loudly.

"Me too!" Camille added.

"What a coincidence," Brady said with fake interest. "What about you, Liza? You single too?"

My blood was boiling. "Brady, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" I asked, making it clear that he didn't have a choice.

"Sure," he smiled. "I'll be right back, ladies."

I walked away from the ocean and in to the trees. Brady followed right behind me. Once we had made it far enough I stopped abruptly and turned to face him.

"So Eliza Young actually wants to talk to me," Brady said dryly. "To what do I owe this _extreme_ honor?"

"Shut up. I only wanted to tell you to go away."

"Your friends don't want me to go away," Brady smirked.

"Trying to make me jealous? Pathetic."

"I would say it worked."

"How so?" I snapped.

"I got you to speak to me for the first time in a month," Brady smiled.

"That's not because I'm jealous! It's because I think you have forgotten the last time we spoke and are under the impression that it is okay for you to talk to me. You're just making a fool out of yourself. It's obvious that neither of them are your type."

"My type?" Brady laughed. "Liza, of course they aren't, _you're _my type. No one else."

"Stop it. We're done with this, remember? Get over it, and get over me."

Then all of the bitterness and arrogance and coldness disappeared from his face. He gripped my shoulders in his warm hands and bent slightly to get down to my level (which was about five foot six and a half).

"Eliza, you're _killing _me. I tried to leave you alone and I can't! You say there's no part of you that feels the same way but somewhere… deep, deep down, somewhere there _has_ to be something. Any shred of feeling in your cold heart!"

"My heart is only that, Brady. Cold."

"Eliza I– I–" He couldn't seem to get the words out. He sighed and seemed to change his mind. "I'm not giving up on you," He said quietly. Then, oh so gently, he touched his lips to mine. I wasn't even sure if it counted as a kiss, but was more like the ghost of a kiss. And then he was gone.

I probably should have went back to the girls, but I didn't. I just stood there. Why did he keep doing this? I thought that his delusional idea that I could ever feel anything besides annoyance towards him was over with. I thought I had broken his heart for good last month, but apparently that wasn't even enough to turn him away. Why was he so caught up in this stupid little crush?

Before I could find the answer, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out and checked who it was.

Emily. I sighed and picked up the phone. "Hullo?" I asked in a casual voice that hopefully hid how I was really feeling.

"Eliza, I need you to come home now. It's important."

"I'm on my way," I said, without asking any questions. I hung up the phone and made my way towards home without bothering to tell Gaby or Camille.

_Claire_

Never had any human being ever had a more perfect month.

With Mason and the vampires both out of the picture, there was nothing keeping Quil and I apart. I was basically living at Quil's house now, staying there five or six nights a week. The only nights I couldn't stay with him was the night he had to run patrols, Sundays, (which became the bane of my existence), and alternating Thursdays, when he was also running patrols.

Embry barely ever came around the house because he couldn't stand to be around the two of us. He said we were sickening, and maybe we were, but I certainly didn't care. Now that I was on birth control it seemed like Quil and I were _always _in the bedroom (Or sometimes the couch if the bedroom seemed too far).

I still went home every day for either lunch or dinner to visit my family, but other than that I was practically a glued to Quil. And if we weren't having sex, we were kissing, or cuddling, or any other kind of physical contact. I went to sleep in his arms and I woke up in his arms.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do now that school was about to start. School meant seven hours a day away from Quil. School meant working on homework until dinner. School meant going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. School meant less Quil and more misery.

Going back to school and leaving Quil had always sucked, but this year was going to be even worse. Now I wouldn't be missing my best friend, I'd be missing my _boyfriend_.

So... Summer was coming to a close. There were things that I was going to miss, and things I couldn't wait to leave behind.

Obviously, I was going to miss Quil. I was going to miss spending all day and all night with him. I was going to miss spending Tuesday afternoons with the pack. I was going to miss the freedom that came with summer.

But I was ready to forget about Mason. He had disappeared the day of the battle and didn't come back. From what I heard, he wasn't phasing. Any time he did accidently lose his skin he would phase back quickly before any member of the pack had a chance to talk to him. No one in the pack really seemed to care about his absence except Danny.

I didn't miss him or anything, but I felt bad. No matter what Quil told me, I knew that Mason's running away was all my fault. Because of me he was on his own. Because of me his mother was probably worried sick. She had no idea that her son was a werewolf and ran away because of me and Quil. She probably just wanted her son back. But he wasn't coming back.

And it was all my fault.

It was a Saturday. Quil was taking care of werewolf business today, helping with Jamie's training. So it was just me and Embry at home, sitting on the couch and watching the Simpsons.

"He's not even here," Embry groaned. "Why are you?"

"Shut up," I shoved him, "You love me."

"Whatever," Embry said. "You're like a kid sister."

"Kid? I'm sixteen."

"I'm thirty," Embry replied dryly.

"No, you _would be _thirty if you didn't grow fur and a tail whenever you pleased," I corrected.

"Well fine, I'm an older sixteen than you, so I _still_ win, kid sister."

"Well one year from now _you'll _be the kid," I said.

"So will Quil," Embry chuckled. I glared at him.

"Shut up."

"He was a cradle robber and you're going to be a cougar." I threw a pillow at him and mumbled something about Lilly being a minor.

"What's the point of this show anyways?" I asked crankily, "It's stupid."

"The show thinks _you're _stupid," Embry replied childishly.

"I'm serious. Like, why does the mom have yellow skin and blue hair?"

"They all have yellow skin, Claire."

"Are they sick?" I asked.

"Are you going to keep talking?" Embry sighed.

"I'm going to go home and get some more clothes," I said. I had done this a few times already. I was slowly bringing all of my things to Quil's house. Quil loved coming home and finding my shirts in his drawers and my jeans in his closet. It always made him smile.

"How about you just go home and stay there," Embry suggested.

"Nah," I laughed, grabbing Quil's keys off of the little table by the front door and leaving Embry to his show.

I arrived home to find an unfamiliar car parked on the gravel driveway in my usual parking spot. Auntie Emily probably had a friend over, or maybe Uncle Sam did. Either way, I had to park out front. The houses in la Push didn't have real garages, so there wasn't room for me on the already full driveway.

I heard voices coming from the kitchen.

"Claire, that you?" Emily called.

"Yeah," I replied, heading over to the kitchen. I froze when I turned the corner.

Sitting around the dinner table was Sam, Emily, Eliza, and my father…

No, it couldn't really be my _father_. I was seeing things. I hadn't seen him in eleven years, and my eyes were playing tricks on me.

"Dad?" I said uncertainly.

"Hello Claire," He smiled.

I practically collapsed.

Eleven years! Eleven years! What was he doing here after eleven whole years? He hadn't come back once in _eleven_ years! What was he doing here? Why now? _Why now after eleven fucking years?_

I wasn't sure how to feel, besides fucking surprised.

"What are you doing here?" I asked when I was able to breathe again.

"I'm so sorry, Claire. No one told me about your mother's passing. I would have come for the funeral if I'd known. She's been gone for seven years and I only found out a few weeks ago when I ran into your grandfather in Portland. I feel so terrible for being gone when you girls needed me," He turned to look at Eliza, "Both of you."

"Well, we managed," I stated, still not sure how to feel about his sudden reappearance.

"Yes, I can see that. You have both grown in to such beautiful young ladies."

"So you're here to apologize for missing Mom's funeral?" I asked.

"I'm here to get my life back, Claire. I was stupid for ever leaving and seeing your grandfather made me realize that. It was unfair for me to leave you girls how I did without any warning. But I'm done running. I've bought a house here in La Push and got a job and was hoping that maybe you, me, and Eliza could try to rebuild our relationship,"

I was stunned. This couldn't be real. I was having some sort of crazy dream. I was back at Quil's house, fast asleep, cuddled up in his arms like I was this morning. Like I was this morning… when the world made sense. How could I tell my dad that I didn't actually live here much anymore? That I slept at my boyfriend's house almost every night. My boyfriend, who to my father should probably be thirty years old by now. It's not like Dad knew about werewolves and imprinting… He could never understand.

Before I could put much more thought into his offer, the front door opened again. "Claire, where are you? Embry said you were here," Quil called from the front door. _Uh oh._

"I'm in the kitchen," I replied quietly.

The front door closed and I heard his feet start to make their way to the kitchen. "Whose car is that outside, by the way?" He asked.

Before I could say anything, he turned the corner in to the kitchen and got his answer.

_Thank God he's wearing a shirt! _I thought momentarily.

He noticed my father right away and his face became furious. "What are you doing here, Anthony?" Quil growled.

"Quil," I warned under my breath.

"This'll be fun," Eliza mumbled to herself, a smirk finding its way on to her face.

"Well, I see you're still around," Dad noted unhappily, frowning at Quil.

"This may surprise you, but not all men leave the people they love. That's just you," Quil had started to shake slightly.

"I was just hoping that you'd be gone," Dad confessed.

This made Quil even angrier. "If you thought that I would leave then you are more stupid then I gave you credit for."

"Quil!" I hissed.

"She's _my _daughter," Dad yelled, standing up from the table.

"No, Claire _was _your daughter. You left her, remember? You left her and Eliza! _Sam _is more their father than you ever were."

"Quil stop it," I ordered, walking over to him and placing a hand on his trembling arm. "You need to calm down."

"Not until he goes back to wherever he was for the past eleven years. I don't know what he wants but he has no business being here," He said to me and only to me, pulling me closer. "He doesn't _deserve_ to be around you."

"Do I get my own room?" Eliza interrupted, turning to look at my father. "If I stay with you, do I have to share a room with Claire?"

"No, Eliza. You would have your own room. The house is two stories, actually, in northern La Push."

"Then I guess I can _try_ for the first semester of school." She was so materialistic. Did Eliza even care that she had practically no memories of him? Getting her own room was enough to convince her to move in with a stranger?

"Try what?" Quil asked suspiciously.

"Anthony has moved back to La Push and would like his daughters to live with him," Sam explained tiredly.

Quil looked so mad I was sure he was going to phase and rip my father to shreds. "Not happening," He stated plainly. "Come on, Claire, we're leaving." He put an arm around me and started pulling me to the back door.

"Are you _dating my daughter _WOLF?" Dad shouted furiously.

_Did he just call Quil a wolf? _

"Not. Your. Daughter." Quil growled.

"She's fucking sixteen!"

"You've been gone so long I'm surprised you even remember how old she is."

"You are a THRITY YEAR OLD MAN! That is illegal on so many different levels. Don't try and feed me any of your wolf shit!"

"It doesn't work that way!" Quil defended, still holding me close.

"Or does it?" Eliza giggled to herself.

"If it _does _work that way then you've made out with a guy _double _your age how many times Eliza? Like five?"

Eliza turned red. "Three! THREE times!

Emily choked on the tea she had been drinking. "Excuse me?"

"It's nothing," Eliza snapped.

"I love her, Anthony," Quil said sincerely. "But you _already_ knew that. You've known that for fourteen years."

Then every puzzle piece snapped together. "Wait!" I interrupted. "You and Mom knew about… You mean, you know about…?" I couldn't say the word.

"Of course we knew. My sister married one," He looked at Sam and then back to me. "And then you.. you were…" He moved his eyes to glare at Quil, who was still holding me protectively. "Take your damn paws off of her, mutt!"

"You don't own her life!" Quil growled.

"Neither do you," Dad shot back.

"She's more mine than she is yours!"

"Both of you, stop it! Neither of you own me, I'm a human being, stop fighting."

Dad ignored me and turned to Sam and Emily. "Clearly you let Claire do whatever she wants. She _will_ stay with me or I'll go to court with her and Quil's little relationship," He spat, "All I need for this to be illegal is a birth certificate. Unless you want to explain to the judge that Quil is a mother fucking animal."

"Anthony, let's just talk abou–" Emily tried.

"No discussion, Em," My father interrupted.

"But Dad!" I yelled, tears in my eyes. "You can't do this!" I pushed Quil away and went to stand right in front of my father. "I love him!"

"I'm sure you do," He said with clear disgust. "I'll be by Monday morning to pick you girls up."

"This is wrong, Anthony," Sam said.

"Monday or court. No ifs ands or buts," He said firmly. "Goodbye, girls," And then he stomped down the hallway and out of the house.

"Oh family," Eliza sighed as my tears spilled over.

**Author's Note: And we're baaaaack! I've actually had this chapter done since before I posted the last one, but have had major internet issues. All better now, and I have the next chapter written too, just waiting to be edited. It may even be up tomorrow. I'm really excited about Part II. It's going to be really amazing, if I do say so myself. If you don't like Eliza pov though, and hate her story, you may as well stop reading, because there is going to be a ton of her in here. Anyways, lots is coming! And if you wanted to hear about how I shared a body with Eliza this past weekend, PM me! And pretty pretty please keep the reviews coming. They motivate me so much and truly does make me want to post faster. My favorite part of posting is hearing what you guys think! Chapter 27 is coming SOON, so just hold on.**


	27. Miserable Misery

**Author's Note: I know what you're all thinking, Carlee is posting for the second day in a row? What the hell? Well, I had both chapters written and had to edit this one and post it today because it is the SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY of this story! Whoooooo! *fireworks explode* So, enjoy this chapter, and enjoy it good, because I have absolutely nothing of chapter three written (I'm now numbering them back from one for some reason now that we're at part II). And make sure you read chapter one (26) before reading this one! Hey, so Saturday is my birthday, and what I really want from you guys is feedback! So review please! Okay, I'm done babbling. **

_Quil_

"I don't know what my brother is thinking," Emily said angrily.

"He's thinking that I'm a pedophile who needs to be kept away from Claire," I replied miserably, going to where Claire was standing and wiping her tears away.

"But you aren't," Claire cried, throwing her arms around me. Eliza decided it was time to insert her opinion.

"I, personally, can see where Dad is coming from. I mean, Quil _was _alive for fourteen years before you, Claire."

All_ Eliza _could see was her own bedroom, but I wasn't going to say that.

"Wow Eliza. I didn't realize you were selfish, nosy, bitchy, _and _a hypocrite," Claire snapped.

"Claire!" Emily scolded.

"I am not a hypocrite!" Eliza hissed. "Don't take your anger out on me. It's not my fault that Dad hates Quil."

"Are we playing the fault game, now? We can do that. It's _your _fault that Brady has been moping around like a zombie for the past month. Oh, and you don't seem to have any problem kissing someone who is fourteen years older than _you_."

"Really? We're gonna bring this up, Claire? He. Kissed. Me. Okay? It's not like I asked him to! Only you would choose to kiss someone that much older than you."

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Sam whispered to Emily. She shook her head slowly.

"News flash, Liza! Your best friend, no, not Camille or Gaby, your _real _best friend, you know, the one you've been secretly avoiding lately? Her and Embry have an even bigger age difference than me and Quil. But that doesn't matter to you, does it? She's your best friend so I'm sure you'll support her. Because you're a hypocrite!"

"Embry's an even bigger pervert than Quil, but at least _he's _not sleeping with her."

"Maybe you _should_ stay with Dad, since you guys apparently think the exact same way. It's kind of funny that you grew up not knowing him, but you still turned out exactly the same," Claire said nastily.

Eliza opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it.

"What's the matter? Aren't used to people talking back to you, Eliza? Maybe you should go complain to Brady, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to pat you on the back and tell you what an angel you are."

"Come on Claire," I said, wrapping an arm around her and steering her out of the kitchen.

"Whatever Claire! Come Monday, you'll be miserable and I'll be exactly the same as I am now!" Eliza called venomously from the kitchen.

"That's because you already _are_ miserable!" Claire practically screamed.

"I'm just gonna get her out of here," I said to Sam, who had followed us to the front door. "We'll be back tomorrow." Sam nodded and I gently pushed Claire through the door, finally cutting off the girls' fighting.

I took the car keys from Claire and we both got in. I drove away silently, leaving Claire to cool down.

As much as I wished I didn't, I momentarily felt sorry for Eliza. Claire had just ripped her to shreds, in front of Sam and Emily nonetheless.

But I had bigger things on my mind. I was losing my Claire. Who did Anthony think he was?

Oh yeah. _Her father. Her God damned father…_

But it wasn't fair. Claire was _mine_. Everyone knew that Claire was mine! MINE! There were only two people that had ever dared to test that. One of them was gone, and now I had to figure out what to do about this one.

But this was an entirely different ball game. No more little rivalries. This was the major leagues. Anthony wasn't a stupid teenage boy. He was her_ parent_. He didn't see me as competition, he saw me as a sick pervert.

Maybe I was.

If only he knew all the things I had done to his daughter… I'd be dead for sure then. Or maybe just in prison.

If he knew that Claire was living in my house, sleeping in my bed, and doing all kinds of other things with me in my house in my bed…

What the hell was I supposed to do? Emily, Rachel, Kim, they were all over eighteen when they were imprinted on, and Nessie's parents were supernatural and understanding. None of us had ever had this problem before.

He threatened to take legal action! What the hell was I supposed to do about that? It's not like I could just phase and rip the judge's head off. This wasn't werewolves vs. vampires. This was me against the human world. And in the human world, I was thirty and Claire was still only sixteen. In the human world I was no more than a thirty year old pervert.

I may have been a big strong werewolf, but a single human and a birth certificate could take me down.

_No,_ I couldn't let that happen.

"Maybe we should just get out of here," I said to Claire once we pulled up at home.

She turned her head and stared at me. "I offered that before, remember? You said no. You said that I was only sixteen and Sam and Emily would kill us."

"I know," I said. "But baby, I can't lose you."

"I said that, too. Do you remember what you told me?"

I sighed. "I said that you weren't going to lose me."

"He never said that I couldn't see you anymore. And even if he doesn't let me see you, you know I'll do it anyways. I love you, _so much_. I'm sorry I snapped back at the house, but I'm not afraid anymore. I'm a minor right now unfortunately, so there are certain… ah, technicalities. But if a coven of werewolf-killing vampires can't get between us, do you really think my dad can?"

"Claire, if he were to get the law involved, there would be nothing I could do."

"Two years. In two years I'll be eighteen," She said, more to herself than to me. "Then he can't do anything.:

"I wait fourteen years for you and only get a month before I'm put back on the waiting list," I mumbled to myself. "Unbelievable."

"It's not like our relationship is over. We're just going to need to be a little more discreet. Maybe a little less touchy."

I picked Claire up and pulled her over to me so she was in between my body and the steering wheel. One of my hands rested on her butt and the other was stroking her beautiful face.

"I like touchy," I pouted.

"_Now_ you sound like a pervert," Claire giggled.

I smacked her ass lightly and she giggled again.

"You know," Claire commented, "This may be my last sleepover for a little while. It would be a shame to waste it talking." She leaned in and traced my lips with her tongue. I shuddered.

"Hey now, Claire. We aren't in my room yet."

"Then we're wasting time," She breathed, kissing me again.

I growled and swung open the truck door. I kept Claire flush against me and brought her legs around my waist. I walked mostly blindly towards the house, all of my attention focused on Claire's mouth, which was attacking mine.

When I made it inside I bit back a curse. Why did Embry and Lilly _both_ have to be here?

"Leave," I mumbled.

"You guys are the absolute worst," Lilly complained, covering her eyes. "At least Jacob and Nessie… Well never mind. But you guys are definitely the second worst!"

"Definitely," Embry agreed, laughing lightly.

Claire pushed me away (much to my disappointment) and slipped down my body. I felt a sharp pain in my heart when Claire walked away from me and over to Lilly. How was I going to live without her by my side at all times?

"You should call Eliza," Claire said. "She's probably looking for someone to talk to."

"What happened?" Lilly asked, a worried look spreading across her face.

"Ask her. _Talk _to her. She needs you."

Lilly's face hardened, and she turned to Embry. "Let's go hang out at Brady's, shall we? He's been really down lately."

"Gee, I wonder whose fault _that_ is?"

Lilly ignored him. "You ready?"

Embry looked at me quickly, trying to read the situation. When he couldn't, he turned back to Lilly and motioned for her to lead the way.

Claire turned back to me, frowning. "Eliza's probably pissed. I don't know what came over me. I was unfair to her."

"Don't worry, baby. I'm sure she's fine. Girls who can throw punches as tough as her need to know how to take a hit, too. I'm sure what you said didn't even faze her."

Claire just nodded and went back in to my arms. "I'm going to love you no matter what. We were made for each other. Like, literally."

I kissed her sweetly on the lips, picking her up and carrying her down the hall.

The fire from the car was gone, but like always, the love remained. I laid Claire down on the bed, pulling down her jeans as she tugged her shirt up over her head. As always, Claire refused to get completely naked until I was at least somewhat undressed. I removed my shirt and then brought my shorts and boxers down in the same tug.

When would I get the chance to do this with Claire again? Not tomorrow night if Anthony was picking them up Monday morning. Definitely not when she was staying with _him_. The uncertainty, not knowing when I would get to be intimate with the world's most amazing creature again… killed me.

I undid Claire's bra, placing kisses across her chest as I did. Then I kissed my way down her flat stomach to the top of her jeans.

"May I?"

"I can't believe you still ask," She breathed. I took that as a yes and slipped them down her perfect, tan legs.

I didn't waste any time pushing inside her. I was careful, of course. I was_ always _careful, but tonight I wasn't in the mood for taking my sweet time. I needed her.

The same thought echoed through my head with every thrust, _I can't lose you, I can't lose you, I can't lose you. _

"You couldn't lose me if you tried," Claire whispered, making me realize that I must have been saying that out loud.

_Embarrassing… _

Claire looked up at me with those big brown eyes and my heart melted, just like it did every time she gave me that look. That look so filled with love and trust and admiration and peace and joy and a little bit of lust. It was so much more beautiful than the look I was giving her, which probably just read: _Holy fuck your body is amazing._

Claire's small hands were holding on tightly to my arms, and it would probably really hurt if I were a human, but felt fine to me.

"Oh Quil," She sighed in pleasure. Claire's head fell back and I took this as an opportunity to attack her neck.

"You're just so kissable," I mumbled in to her neck a minute later.

"And sexy," I added with a smirk, increasing in speed.

Claire let out a small scream as she reached her peak.

"And loveable," I smiled, pecking her on the cheek.

I thrust in to her a couple more times before releasing inside of her. When I was done I pulled out and laid beside her. Claire was still breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath.

"You never disappoint," She breathed, a blissful smile making its way on to her face. She got up and walked over to one of my drawers.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Looking for a shirt," She replied.

"Oh no, I'm not done with you yet. Get back over here," I told her with a smile.

"I was hoping you would say that," Claire confessed as she crawled on top of me.

Then it was my turn to be on bottom.

_Eliza _

Sam came back down the hallway a few seconds after the front door shut.

"I'll be in my room," I muttered, standing up from my chair.

"No you won't," Emily said.

I huffed and sat back down, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Would you like to explain to me what just happened?" She asked.

"Not particularly, I'd rather just go to my room."

"Is the yelling over, can I come out of my room now?" Amelia called from down the hall.

"See? Melia wants to talk, we can trade places."

"Sam, go see Melia. Me and Eliza are going to have some girl time."

_Oh great._

Sam just nodded and headed down the back hallway.

"You were being awfully harsh to your sister," Emily commented.

"Me? What about _her_!" I whined.

"You were both being horrible."

"Well then why isn't _Claire _getting a talking to?"

"Because I already know what's wrong with Claire. I'm curious to know what's got you all upset."

"I'm not upset," I mumbled.

"You've been acting strange lately, Eliza. Especially when you picked up the phone earlier.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Does this have to with what Claire was saying, about Brady?"

"I didn't kiss him!" I said quickly and defensively. That was a lie. There was one time when _I_ kissed _him._ That tease of a kiss before I told him to never talk to me again. But that didn't mean anything.

Emily just smirked. "So you're saying that your lips have never touched Brady Fuller's lips?"

"Well, I mean… No, I guess that's not what I'm saying. He's kissed _me_, but I didn't want him to!"

"Mhmm," She suppressed a smile.

"I don't like him!" I snapped.

"But he likes you?"

"This has nothing to do with anything, so why are we even talking about it?" I whined.

"Okay, sorry," Emily said. It was quiet for a few seconds.

"I get it, okay. I was being bitchy, I've been acting strange lately, I'll apologize. Can I just please go to my room?"

Emily looked like she wanted to say more, but then she let out a sigh and nodded.

I got up from the table and fled down the hallway to my room.

Amelia and Sam were in there playing some stupid little game.

"Okay, so I have a bed, but never sleep, I have a bank, but no money, I'm always running, but never walking, I have a mouth, but am never talking, what am I?" Amelia asked.

Sam scratched his head. "Uhh, a mysterious cowboy who stole a bank and is running from the authority?"

"No! I'm a river," Amelia laughed.

"I knew that…" Sam replied defensively.

Then they seemed to notice me, and Sam told Amelia he'd see her later and exited the room. I stared Amelia down until she got up and followed.

Once I was alone, I closed the door behind me and then pressed a chair against it. I needed some private time for my mind to process all that had happened to me today.

Was Brady serious about not giving up on me? What was my excuse for abandoning Camille and Gaby at the beach? Was I really ready to live with a man I barely knew? _Was _I all of those things that Claire said?

The last question seemed the most important, and the hardest to answer. I knew that Claire was just upset, and looking to release her anger, but I _had _egged her on. And aren't times of anger when people are their most truthful? The times when people release everything they have kept bottled up inside? Was I a hypocrite?

It's not like I ever pursued Brady. I told him straight up every chance I got that I wasn't interested. That he was a pest. That I wanted him to leave me alone. But then every time he kissed me, every time I _let _him kiss me… did that count as leading him on? Was I giving him mixed signals?

I had never cared what other people thought of me before, but suddenly felt very self-conscious. If Claire thought these things about me, _Claire _who was one of the few people in the world who loved me unconditionally, then what did others say about me? Those who had never liked me much to begin with.

Before today, I hadn't seen Brady in a month. Claire had said he was like a zombie… but that couldn't possibly be because of me! I was just a stupid crush. Why couldn't he just start crushing on another girl? Hell, he could go out with Camille for all I cared!

_Wait, no. Him and Camille? Yuck. They would make a horrible couple… she's nothing, _nothing, _but a bitch. _

Then it hit me.

So was I.

Nothing but a bitch…

"Okay, what did you do to him _now_?" A slightly miffed voice asked from behind me.

I jumped in surprise as Collin appeared out of the darkness and climbed through my bedroom window.

"You scared me!" I exclaimed.

"Don't you need to have actual _feelings_ in order to feel scared?" He asked rhetorically.

"I'm sorry, I have a problem with stupid werewolves coming into my room at night and insulting me, can you leave?"

"Not until you answer my question."

"Which was?"

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Him. Now?" He repeated in frustration.

"_Him_ being…?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Blondie," Collin said impatiently. "You may not have a heart but I know you have a brain."

"I didn't do anything to him," I said plainly.

Collin burst out laughing. "Oh, sorry. I must be at the wrong house, I'm looking for _Eliza_."

"I didn't!" I snapped.

"Then how come he comes home from the beach today and actually has a pulse?"

"Are you suggesting that said person –who has yet to be named by you– did not have a pulse before? Because I don't think that is scientifically possible if 'said person' has been alive the entire time."

"I honestly have no idea why he's in love with you, you're infuriating. No offense."

"He is not _in love _with me," I told him.

"How do you know who I'm talking about?" Collin smirked.

"I'm not stupid, if that's what you're implying."

"Of course not, you're just heartless."

I shrugged. "Just because I have one it doesn't mean I need to use it."

"Like I said, why Brady is in love with you… I will never know."

"He isn't in love with me," I said through clenched teeth.

"Right, and I'm not really Collin. I'm just a talking Native American lamp."

I rolled my eyes. "It has now become crystal clear to me why you guys are best friends, you're both incredibly annoying."

"I would like to think that I'm significantly less annoying. And I'm smarter, too."

"Oh, really?" I asked indifferently.

"Smart enough to see what he doesn't," Collin boasted.

"Which is?"

"He doesn't see that you're a waste of time, which you are, and that he's too good for you, which he is. But that is besides the point. All I want is to know is what happened between the two of you today."

"God, so you had to come all the way over here and bug me about it? Ask him!" I said in a highly annoyed voice.

"I tried. He wouldn't say anything. I even threw a rock at him to try and get him to phase so I could get inside his head but no luck."

"Well, what did happen today –which was nothing, I might add– is none of your business."

"He's my best friend, I'm making it my business."

"What if I refuse to tell you?"

"Then I will drag your butt over to my house and lock you and Brady in a room together so I won't have to deal with either of you."

"If you don't like me, then why does how I feel about Brady matter? Wouldn't you rather me not like him?"

"Well, like I just said, he's in love with you. And when you don't like him, he's fucking miserable. At least if you liked him he'd be happy."

Misery…

Everywhere there was misery. Soon enough, Claire was going to be miserable. According to Collin, Brady was miserable. According to Claire, I was miserable.

"Well, I don't know what you want from me, okay? I don't like Brady. I told him that again today at the beach. I don't like him and I'm not changing my mind anytime soon so he's going to have to move on," I mumbled.

"Do you want him to move on?" Collin asked, stepping in closer to me.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, you don't seem to want Brady, but you don't really seem to want him to want anyone else, either."

"Oh really?" I rolled my eyes. "Where did you get that idea, O Wise One?"

"I see things, remember? You're talking to a kid who graduated high school on the honor roll."

"Can you go away?" I asked rudely.

Collin smiled. "Maybe he isn't crazy."

"Hmm?"

"I think he's right. Somewhere in there you like him. You just can't admit it to yourself because you're stubborn."

"No I don't and no I'm not."

"See how stubborn you're being?"

"See how annoying you're being?"

"Whatever, Blondie. I'm outta here, but I _will _be back."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't let the window hit you on your way out," I groaned, pushing him towards it with force.

"Oh, and by the way," Collin added, "Gray is a nice color on you, it matches your bleak personality."

"Shut up," I mumbled.

Collin laughed and then disappeared into the darkness.

_I really hate werewolf boys. _

Needless to say, I fell asleep that night with even more to think about than before.

**SHOUT-OUTS to Forever A Dancer, katieeblackk, Tianimayteller, Lyrics2Soul, JaylynAlexandra, and OF COURSE gabycaldemeraz! (Hahaha, Embry and Lilly: We still can't find Embry's balls, maybe Mason stole them when he ran away?)**


	28. I Live To Serve

_Claire _

Now I've had my fair share of bad mornings… but this one felt like the worst of them all. I felt as if I had committed some heinous crime and was being sentenced to life in prison. Quil was dropping me off at Sam and Emily's and then having a pack meeting to discuss what had happened yesterday and then he'd be back later in the afternoon to help me pack up. We had already packed up my stuff at his house after waking up (only leaving a few shirts and jeans).

"We've got to get going, Claire," Quil announced unhappily, waiting for me at the door as I dragged myself along.

"I don't want to 'get going' Quil," I whimpered.

"I know, baby. I know." He pulled me in to his large warm arms and gave me a comforting hug, kissing me on the top of my head.

"You promise you'll be back this afternoon?"

"I'll be there by lunch," He reassured.

I sighed and let him lead me to his truck. The brief ride to Sam and Emily's house was filled with silence.

Amelia was waiting for us at the door. "I heard about what happened yesterday," She declared softly.

"Yeah, now you're going to get _two_ rooms to yourself," I smiled sadly.

"It's going to be awfully lonely," She admitted.

"Come on Melia, let's go inside," I sighed.

"Are you going to kiss first?" She frowned.

"That's a possibility," Quil chuckled.

Amelia made a face and bolted inside. I gave Quil a quick sweet kiss before following her into the house.

I wasn't like other kids who had lived in the same house their entire life. I used to live nearly an hour away from here, until I met Quil. Then we moved to La Push. I wasn't sure why back then, but now I know it was probably so Quil could be closer to his newfound imprint (I bet Dad didn't like that very much). Then, when Eliza and I were orphaned, we moved in with Sam and Emily. Then, very recently, I had unofficially moved in to Quil's house. Tomorrow I was moving again.

But this wasn't what made me feel empty and homeless inside. Because home isn't the house, home is where the heart is, and God knows that Quil has had my heart since the moment I met him. No matter what kind of love it was, I had always loved him, very, very much. The others didn't all completely understand, but they accepted. Quil had always been home for me. He will _always be _home for me. The problem was, I didn't know how much I'd be aloud to _go_ to my home anymore. All I know is that my father and my home didn't get along very well.

So Quil had my heart, Dad had my body, and I had absolutely nothing.

The morning passed by slowly without Quil, and I never left my room once.

_Quil_

_Okay, so what is this meeting about again? _Mia asked.

_This is a meeting? I thought it was Quil venting time… _Collin confessed.

_Isn't it more like a long conversation? _Grayson inquired.

_Is Jake coming?_

_ Who's running the meeting?_

_ Can we do this _after _I eat? _

The questions and comments from the pack were endless.

_Next one of you who speaks is getting their head ripped off, _I growled. That shut them up fairly quickly.

_Well, some stuff is just going on that you guys should be filled in on, not really a meeting, but I'll be doing most of the talking. It's about Claire…_

_ Surprise, surprise, _Collin rolled his eyes.

_No way, man! She knocked up? _Austin jumped up.

_If she wasn't before I bet she is after last night, _Embry chuckled to himself.

_You know who isn't knocked up? Lilly! Do you know why Embry? Ya know why? _Austin teased.

_Because she's fucking fourteen, _he growled.

_And a half, _Danny interjected.

_Focus! I was talking, remember? _I huffed. They all made an effort to quiet their thoughts.

_No, Claire is _not _pregnant. She's having some family issues._ I let my mind slip back to yesterday, from arriving at Claire's until Anthony left, his ultimatum still hanging heavily in the air.

_Whoa, _Seth was the first to comment.

_Dude, that fucking sucks, _Nolan agreed.

_Relationships gone wild! _Collin thought. _Grayson and Leah are hooking up, you and Claire are breaking up, and Brady and Eliza are–_

_ We aren't breaking up! _I interrupted.

_And we aren't "hooking up"_ Leah added.

_Okay, whatever you say Lee, _Collin chuckled.

_We aren't! _Grayson probably would have been blushing if he were currently human.

_Well you are always running your patrols together, and none of us really know what you guys do when none of us are arou–_

_ Hey guys, what's all the commotion about? _The voice of our alpha asked.

_Hey Jake, what's up? Didn't think you were coming, _I remarked.

_I wasn't going to, but then Ness was abducted by Alice for a stupid shopping trip. She's going to be gone all day. _

_Damn, an entire day? How will you possibly survive, _Brady's sarcasm was blatant.

_Maybe he was coming to ask you how to deal with being alone, _Mia rolled her eyes. Brady growled.

_Cool it guys, _Jake scolded.

_Well, if you have nothing to do today, I guess you can come help pack. _

_ Pack?_

_ Claire… she's moving. _

Jacob's response: _! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! _

_ I know, right? _I agreed.

_When you say moving, I assume you don't mean in to your house... _

_ Yeah, I wish. She's… um, moving in with Anthony, her father._

And so Jacob was filled in, and then the pack was still for a minute.

_Anyways, she has to pack up today, and I figured I'd get some of you guys to help. _

Jacob volunteered. Then Embry. And then, surprise, surprise. 

_ Is Eliza gonna be there? _Brady asked.

_I hope not, _Embry thought quietly.

Brady snarled at him.

_Come on, man. _Embry thought, _Get over it. She doesn't like you. She's an emotionless psychotic bitch, Brady. She's not even worth it. _

Personally, I saw it coming, but Embry didn't, and was surprised as shit when Brady was suddenly on top of him in full attack mode.

_Brady, _Jacob warned.

Brady wasn't even listening. Embry started to fight back and they were rolling around at our feet.

_**Stop. **_Jacob put the alpha voice on, and every member of the pack stopped what they were doing and turned to him.

_Second time Embry has got jumped in a month for calling one of the wolf girls a name, _Seth chuckled.

_Wolf girls? _Leah questioned.

_It's a lot faster than saying, one of the imprints/girlfriends. _

_ Eliza isn't an imprint or a girlfriend. She's a moody fourteen year old girl, _Embry mumbled.

_Quiet Embry. _Jacob ordered. _When one of your brothers is in love, you have to respect his choice and respect her. _

_ Oh yeah, just like she respects him?_

Brady interrupted before Jacob had a chance. _You know that you're calling Lilly's _best friend _a bitch. She'd be quite pissed if she found out. _

_Not to mention she's Claire's sister, _I added. _Now we can argue later, I miss Claire. Jake, Embry, Brady, anyone else have nothing to do? _

_I'll go, _Collin smirked. He seemed suspicious, like he was hiding something from us. But if he was, he was too focused to let it slip. We had all gotten better at concealing our thoughts. Back when we first phased, it was like a non-stop sharing circle. Not anymore. It seemed that the pack had more secrets than the U.S. government.

Then, for just a second, our thoughts became more crowded. I saw a different forest, a flash of trees. A fourteenth voice. _Damn it, _he cursed. And just as quickly as he came, the fourteenth wolf disappeared again.

_Lilly _

"So that's it?" I asked. "You're moving?"

Eliza nodded once. "He's coming in the morning to pick us up."

I stared out of her bedroom window, not sure what to think of this story. Why was Eliza's father suddenly missing his family? Why had Eliza agreed to live with him, when she barely remembered him at all?

_No wonder Claire looked so upset last night._

Claire… she had wanted me to do this. To talk to Eliza. But why? Couldn't she have just told me what was going on last night? Why did I need to hear it from Eliza? Why did she need me? Eliza seemed to be doing perfectly fine to me.

Okay, so that last part wasn't exactly true. Eliza was the most complicated person I had ever met. She always wore an emotionless mask. It would change often. Sometimes it would be thin, as if made of paper, and easy to see through. Sometimes it would be so thick that I wondered if there _was _such a thing as "the real Eliza."

This mask was neither. It was made of porcelain and there were cracks everywhere. It was a broken mask, and everyone knew that it was broken, but Eliza refused to admit it. To admit that she had feelings. That would be giving in. Instead, Eliza used glue, in an attempt to keep the mask together, to keep her composure… Why couldn't she just let go? Why couldn't Eliza just _let me in_?

_Oh yeah, because she's Eliza. _

If she wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong, then I would let her. Forcing Eliza to share her feelings would be like telling an elephant to recite William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Both were highly unlikely of ever really happening.

The tragic thing was, the main person Eliza was hurting by bottling everything up was… herself.

I didn't mean to say it. To say it showed weakness. But I was never strong like Eliza, and it just slipped out. "Are we still okay?"

Eliza looked at me in clear astonishment. "Of course we are. Why would you even ask that?"

I shook my head. "Never mind."

"No, tell me," She said seriously.

"Just like you tell_ me_ everything, Eliza? Just like you always let me inside _your _head? How you're always honest with _me_?" I was surprised at the bitterness in my voice, and it appeared Eliza was as well.

"I don't lie to you, Lilly. I never lie to you," She said quietly.

"Then tell me what's going on with you, Eliza. You've been acting strange for weeks. Every time I see you it's like you're avoiding me. And if someone even _mentions _Brady–"

"Shut up."

I froze. "Excuse me?" My voice came out in a high-pitched sound, close to a squeal.

"Don't try and connect my problems to Brady. He has nothing to do with this. Nothing to do with _anything_."

"So you admit that there's a problem?" I pressed.

"What? No!"

"You just said you did. _And _got all huffy at the mention of Brady, like you _always _do."

"I'm sorry, Lilly, okay? I'm sorry that I don't like your new best friend, Brady. I'm sorry that I can't stand the sight of him. I'm sorry that I wounded his ego or whatever the hell you want me to be sorry for! _You're_ the one not talking to_ me_, remember?"

"I didn't come here for an apology, Liza! I came here because I care about you. We're best friends, remember?" My voice was getting louder with each passing word. "No, of course you don't remember! Don't act like I'm ditching you for Brady. Don't even try. You don't answer the phone when I call, and you certainly never try to call me! And despite what you say, Brady _does_ have something to do with this, because ever since the battle, ever since he kissed you in front of everyone, you've been… THIS! Whatever you want to call it!"

Whereas I was yelling, Eliza's voice was low. Low, hard, vicious. She didn't need volume to release rage. "You don't even know the half of it Lilly. You don't even know."

"Then tell me!" I pleaded. "Tell me. Let me help you!"

"I don't need your help Lilly. I don't need anyone's help. I'm. Fine."

"Oh, clearly," I had never heard so much sarcasm in my own voice before. This entire conversation surprised me. This was me and Eliza. We were "best friends". We had never, _never _fought like this.

_Why did I have to open my mouth in the first place?_

But no, it wasn't my fault. It was hers! I tried to give her a hand, and she dipped it in poison.

That's. What. Eliza. Did.

"Me-ow! Girl fight. And I thought pillow fights were hot."

I turned my head slowly, eyes narrowed, and found Collin leaning against the door frame.

Eliza composed herself instantly, the mask on, and thicker than I had ever seen. "Back so soon, Collin?"

"Couldn't resist your bad sense of humor and negative outlook on life. Gives me the warm fuzzies."

"Oh, I'm sure it does," Eliza said, sounding in no way convinced. I was utterly confused. When did Eliza and Collin ever talk?

"_And_ I missed your pretty face. Of course, that frown you wear all the time spoils it a little."

Eliza shrugged, as if this were a more believable statement.

"Wait, Collin, did I hear something about a girl fight?" Embry mused, appearing behind him in the doorway.

The fight with Eliza might as well have not happened. The last fourteen and a half years of my life may as well not have happened, because looking at Embry wiped away everything else in the world.

The way his hair fell in his face, just barely brushing his eyelids. The way his muscles tightened when he laughed. The way that his hands were never idle, always drumming on his legs. Everything about him was absolutely perfect, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my heart would never love someone quite the same way ever again.

_ Unrequited love sucks… _

"Oh hey, Lilly," He smiled widely, his eyes on my face. Then slowly, as he noticed my distraught expression, Embry's face changed, twisting with worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I mumbled, getting off of Eliza's bed and starting across the room. "I was just leaving."

"Oh, come on. Stay. Quil roped us in to helping the girls pack, and I really don't want to spend the rest of the day with these crazies if you aren't around."

My heart fluttered at his words. I knew he didn't mean it the way I wished he could, but hearing him say those words was just… _good_.

And as much as I wanted to leave, go home, throw a fit, and maybe cry a little, Embry wanted me here with him. And who was I to turn him down? Even if it _did_ mean a day with Eliza.

"Okay, fine," I smiled finally. I couldn't _not_ smile with Embry around. Eliza made a gagging sound, and I turned to glower at her.

Even though I loved Eliza dearly, I had never told her. Never told her about my love for Embry. I guess I felt ashamed. After all, it was wrong for me to feel this way about _Embry_, who was my best friend, protector, big brother… _Oh God_, I thought to myself, _stop romanticizing things, Lilly. He's not _your _wolf. Not really. _

But I wished he was.

Eliza couldn't possibly know that though, how could she? Only one other person in the world knew. And Claire would never tell.

It appeared that Embry was glaring in her direction too, and I wondered momentarily who she was trying to bother, me or Embry.

But what could Eliza _possibly _have on Embry?

_Claire_

In the two hours I spent alone in my room, I accomplished nothing. The separation from Quil was even more maddening, knowing that today was the last day we could be together before my father came in and took over everything. My body ached for his. I needed his warmth, his closeness, his touch, his _lips_.

In the last month, I had kissed Quil what felt like a million times. The kissing was constant. And more often than not, the kissing led to… well, what we did last night. What we did last night five times.

It was quite possible that Quil was addicted to sex.

But I certainly didn't mind…

_Stop thinking about sex, Claire! _I scolded myself. _You don't have time for that today. _

I felt his presence in the doorway before I saw him. Slowly, I looked up. There was Quil, with Jake, Brady, Embry and Collin behind him.

"Hey, baby," Quil smiled.

I didn't respond, but I'm pretty sure the sudden crushing of my lips against his counted as my hello. My legs weren't wrapped around Quil's waist, as they usually were, but planted firmly on the ground. Instead, I stood on my toes and pulled his head down until our lips met. I suddenly envied Renesmee for her height. Jacob may have been the tallest wolf, at nearly 6'8, but she was 5'10. I was a much shorter five feet and four inches, the second shortest of all the girls, after Annie, who was maybe five foot two.

Quil growled into my mouth, his hands clinging tightly to my arms, keeping me from escaping. (As if I would want to!)

"Um, excuse me,_ my eyes!_" Collin complained.

"You can close them if you'd like," Quil mumbled to him before bringing his soft lips back to mine. Every time our lips met was like a promise of our love for each other.

I heard Collin make a gagging noise and his footsteps make their way a few feet down the hall, to the next room over, where Eliza and Lilly were fighting.

"Okay, that's enough, we're hear to help pack, not watch you guys swap saliva," Brady said, "Right Jake?"

Jacob just sighed.

I put my hands on Quil's chest, pushing on it lightly. Quil took the hint and disconnected our mouths.

"Hope you're all happy, fuckers," Quil sneered.

Embry had left too, and we all new what had led _him _to Eliza's room. I watched Brady, half expecting him to leave as well, but he just watched her room, not moving. Jacob, as always when he was away from Nessie, looked like Hell. I'm not sure which of them looked more love-sick.

"Okay, fine," Came Lilly's voice, and her light footsteps left the room. Seconds later she was in my room, followed by Embry.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Eliza screeched from the other room. Collin laughed, and a second later, he and Eliza (who he apparently had dragged by the arm), were there too. All of them filed into my room.

"She thought she could get away with not helping," Collin cackled.

"Your laugh sounds like poison," She criticized. He howled with laughter again.

"Okay, so we're all here. One big, dysfunctional family," I was surprised to see Jake smile.

"Family? Ew! Quil and Claire are sleeping together, that's incest," Embry laughed.

I rolled my eyes.

"So we have one day and a lot to pack, so we'll just split up. Let's do Quil, Claire, Embry, Lilly, me and Collin in here and Brady and Eliza in Eliza's room.

"You're kidding, right?" Eliza exclaimed.

"Come on, Liza," Jake smiled wider, "It'll be fun."

_Brady _

Why the hell had I agreed to do this? I regretted my decision the second I heard her voice. She was in her room, and her and Lilly sounded like they were in the middle of a huge argument. I realized, in horror, that my name kept coming up.

"_Don't try and connect my problems to Brady. He has nothing to do with this. Nothing to do with anything."_

"_You just said you did. And got all huffy at the mention of Brady, like you always do."_

_ "I'm sorry, Lilly, okay? I'm sorry that I don't like your new best friend, Brady. I'm sorry that I can't stand the sight of him. I'm sorry that I wounded his ego or whatever the hell you want me to be sorry for! You're the one not talking to me, remember?" _

"_Don't act like I'm ditching you for Brady. Don't even try. You don't answer the phone when I call, and you certainly never try to call me! And despite what you say, Brady does have something to do with this, because ever since the battle, ever since he kissed you in front of everyone, you've been… THIS! Whatever you want to call it!" _

She said that she couldn't stand the _sight _of me. That was the line that hurt the most. When I wasn't around, Eliza would convince herself that she hated me but… when we were alone… it was different. She still hated me, but she was just being proud and stubborn. She would tell me to go away, I would kiss her… she would kiss back, I'd be practically flying. She would push away… and everything went black.

I had heard it enough times.

"_Get over her, man! She isn't worth it."_

"_You don't really love her, no one could love_ her_."_

"_You're better off without her."_

"_We get it, she's hot. Too bad that's all she has going for her!"_

"_She's a soul-sucking demon. I'm not even kidding."_

But I couldn't get over her. If I could have, I would have. But I can't.

_Because I'm in love with her. _Everything about her. She was witty, smart, _gorgeous_, strong, stubborn, moody, proud, harsh, confrontational, fierce, sometimes cruel, usually a good friend, trustworthy, protective. She was everything to me.

I didn't care what she said. How she treated me. I didn't even care about the way she had broken my heart last month, because I loved her with everything I had. I loved her. Loved her, loved her, _loved her_.

I know she didn't feel the same. I knew what she thought of me. But I also knew that her heartbeat quickened when she saw me, that her walls came down when I kissed her, her heart and head weren't in the same place.

But I would wait for her. I would wait for her forever, in hopes that one day she would realize that she had feelings for me. I would do anything to have her.

So I guess I was happy when Jake put me and her in the same room, but I was also miserable. Seeing her, knowing that she didn't want me like I wanted her, hearing her tell me that every chance she got was heartbreaking to say the least.

More than anything I wanted to grab her, hold her tightly in my arms, and kiss her.

The brush of my lips across hers yesterday was the best, realest thing I had felt since she had jilted me.

"You're kidding, right?" Eliza exclaimed.

"Come on, Liza, It'll be fun," Jake's smile was almost devious.

"On the contrary, I don't think there is anything less fun."

"Well go on you two," Lilly smirked. "Go get to work. It's a big job for only two people."

Everyone laughed, minus me and Eliza.

Eliza stormed out of the room, me in close pursuit.

"I swear I didn't put them up to this," I told her quietly.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"I didn't."

"Whatever. Don't speak unless spoken to. No funny business. And stay away from my underwear drawer."

I smirked, "Yes ma'am." Even when she was mean, she was sexy.

"Shut up."

"Yes ma'am," I repeated, under my breath this time.

"I can't believe them," She grumbled, "Probably fucking Collin's idea."

"Why would you say that?"

"Do you not understand the meaning of shut up?"

I smiled at her. She glared back. Damn her for being so beautiful. It would be easier to hate her if she didn't look like some fallen angel. With her luminous green eyes, lovely fair skin, and wavy pale blonde hair. Just looking at her made my heart hurt.

"Stop staring at me," She snapped.

I tore my eyes away from her with great effort, sure that I was blushing.

"Okay, so if you could take my stuff out of the closet, I'll box it up."

"Of course, I live to serve."

She made an aggravated noise.

"Do I really bother you that much?" I asked.

"Yes," She replied immediately, not a hint of doubt in her voice.

"You and Lilly were talking about me," I blurted without thinking.

"And this is why I told you that you couldn't speak."

"Why were you talking about me?" I questioned, ignoring her.

"Because Lilly is delusional," She finally said with a sigh.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're always right and everyone else is wrong."

"Basically," She shrugged, pulling the closet door open. "This side is mine," She explained, motioning to the left side of the closet.

"Come on, don't try and tell me that you've never been wrong about anything," I pulled a handful of jeans off their hangers and handed them down to where she was now sitting on the floor beside an empty box.

"Well, nothing comes to mind."

"What color am I thinking of?" I smirked, yanking a pair of shorts off of its hanger.

"Green," She guessed.

"Damn it," I cursed.

"Always right, I told you."

I turned to look at her, my eyes saying what my mouth couldn't. _You're wrong when you say you don't feel anything for me. _

Her response was clear, _I feel nothing for you. _

We could communicate with only a look. Wasn't that what soul-mates did? Okay, maybe I was getting a little ahead of myself, considering that she just shot me down _again._

We didn't speak for the rest of her closet.

Next were her drawers.

"Which one first?" I asked, looking at her mirror-dresser.

"Bottom left."

_Oh God, _I thought to myself as I pulled it open. Bikinis.

"Your whole face just lit up, creep."

"Well I do enjoy swimwear."

To my surprise, Eliza's cheeks turned pink. But then she looked down so quickly that I was convinced I must have imagined it. Eliza never blushed. Except after I kissed her in front of everyone.

The first thing I pulled out was a black top, followed by some leopard print bottoms. I had seen her wear it before, but fought back the memory. A hard-on was the last thing I needed right now. It was bad enough that she was sitting so close to me that I could feel the air shift when she moved.

"Damn you're hot," She complained.

"Excuse me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Your body heat, I feel like I need an ice pack to cool down."

I couldn't stop the inappropriate comment that followed. "You wouldn't be so hot if you were in one of these bikinis."

"I really want to hit you right now," She announced.

"I can hit myself if you'd like," I offered.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Your whole, 'I live to serve Eliza' act. It's rather annoying."

"Who said it's an act?" I asked. But then we both fell silent. Because we both clearly recognized the piece of swimwear currently in my hand. It was a top piece, charcoal gray. This was the one she wore that night at the beach. The first night I'd kissed her.

It took a minute for either of us to move. "Here you go," I muttered, passing it back to her without looking at her. Her hand lightly brushed mine as she took it.

"I mean, really, which sick bastard thought that this was funny? They have six people and we have two."

I just shrugged. But truthfully, I was perfectly happy with just the two of us. All I wanted, all I needed was Eliza.

"If I was smart, I'd take my sweet time doing this. When we're done… who knows when you'll grace me with your presence again."

"If you were smart," Eliza began. "You'd get over me."

I swallowed hard. "Well, I never _was _all that smart," I admitted, looking at her shyly, "Not like Collin. He finished on the honor roll, you know."

"Trust me, _I know._"

**Author's Note: Sorry that the wait was so long. Transition chapters aren't that exciting, but they're necessary, ya know? I promise things are about to start picking up, so just hang in there. PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW! And also, big BIG news. I made a "like" page on Facebook for Quil and Claire: the perfect two. I post chapter teasers, updates on when I'm posting, and I'll be posting cast pictures soon, so go like it, RIGHT NOW!**


	29. Good Intentions, Bad People

_Claire _

It was that unbearable part of the evening. The part where Quil had to go home, shower, grab dinner, and convince Embry to do his patrols for the night so he could stay with me.

And when you're in love, really truly in love, forty-five minutes is entirely too long to be separated.

"Did you ever wonder if Quil is gay?" Eliza, who had invited herself in to my room for the sole purpose of sitting on my bed and annoying me, asked.

"Uh, no?" I gave her a look that said _you're crazy_.

"Well, I mean, what if him "imprinting" on you was all a big cover story, and he's really having a relationship with like, Embry. They _do _live together, and they aren't related…"

"Either are we. Maybe I just pretend to be in love with Quil and am really passionately in love with you. After all, we _do _live together," I remarked dryly.

"Well it was just a thought," She shrugged.

"Are you planning on leaving me alone in the near future?"

"How near?"

"Right now," I said impatiently.

"What? You want to get all ready for Quil to come over?"

"More like, I want to get my annoying sister out of my room."

"_Your _room? Claire, come morning, this is Amelia's room, remember? You don't have a right to kick me out."

I clenched my jaw, "I have a right to kick you out until tomorrow morning, now get your ass out of my room."

"Whatever," Eliza huffed, getting up and sauntering towards the door. Upon reaching the threshold, she turned around slowly, watching me over her shoulder. "Just please refrain from doing two-person pushups tonight. The last thing I want to hear is 'Oh, oh Quil. Oh, don't stop. Oh, yes, yes! Ohhh!' coming through my wall all hours of the night," She added.

"Two-person pushups?" I repeated, but she was already gone from the doorway.

Quil showed up about twenty minutes later. Seeing him was like refilling my lungs with oxygen, but at the same time it felt like all of the air was vacuumed from my body. He was both relieving and breathtaking at the same time—a strange but pleasant combination.

"Hey," I said, my voice coming out in a breathy whisper. The right side of his mouth quirked up in an adorable smile.

"Hey," He replied warmly.

"The room sure looks empty now, with only my bed," I commented, my eyes glancing around the now bare space.

Quil nodded, going to sit on the bed and beckoning me towards him with his index finger. I rushed straight into his arms, clinging to his body for dear life.

"Claire," he breathed. I waited for him to follow it up with a question, or maybe a comment, but h seemed content with just whispering my name.

"Just hold me," I murmured into his neck, "Just hold me." My voice cracked the second time as my tears began to fall.

Quil wrapped one arm around my body and used the other to gently pet my hair. It was silent for a long time, save for the whimpering sounds escaping from my mouth as I cried into Quil's warm neck.

_Quil _

It was one of the most painful things I had ever experienced. Claire—my beautiful, perfect, wonderful angel—was hurting. Her tears soaked the shoulder of my shirt, and each drop of moisture may as well have been a drop of blood falling from an open wound. Every broken gasp she made may as well have been her last. Because this was killing her, and therefore, it was killing me.

But I had to be strong for Claire. She needed me. Her arms were wrapped around me so tightly that I probably would have bruised if I were able to.

If only I wouldn't have been so boyfriend-y to Claire around Anthony yesterday… then maybe…

_Stop torturing yourself, Quil, _I scolded.

I was pulled back to earlier, when I got home. Seth and Annie were over, talking to Embry. Annie was the first to say anything.

"I'll kill him, if you want. It won't really bother me."

"Thanks, but no," I shot her down without a thought.

"No, really. I've killed someone before," Annie smiled pleasantly.

"Why are you smiling, Annie? That's really creepy," Embry asked seriously.

"Humans can be monsters too, Embry. One day you'll see that."

But Anthony wasn't a monster, was he? He was a parent… a bad one, but still. He was concerned. He thought _I _was the monster. _I _was the one who should be kept away from Claire. But _I _wasn't the one ripping Claire out of her home, forcing her to love me, making her cry. That was him.

But that didn't mean he deserved to die, right? My head told me that he didn't deserve to die, but my eyes (which were watching the world's most beautiful creature cry and whimper in pain) were turning red with anger. _That fucker can burn in hell, I'll personally send him there. _

_No Quil, stop. _Common Sense butted in. _Think about Claire._

_ I. Am. _

The sensible part of my brain and the Claire-centered part of my brain were at war.

_He thinks he's protecting her!_

_ He's been gone the last eleven years, _I'm _the one who has been protecting her. _

_ Claire would never forgive you… _

The sensible side merged with the Claire side, and I sighed in defeat, pulling Claire tighter against me.

"Don't cry baby, I'm here. Don't cry," I pleaded.

She attempted to stop the tears, and forced a smile on to her face, peeking up at me. "Sorry," she apologized, "I must be bringing you down."

"Shush Claire. Don't ever apologize for crying ever again. I just cant bare to see you so upset."

"Fine, then I am not sorry for crying. I'm sorry for being weak," She mumbled.

I put a hand under her chin and tenderly forced her to look up at me. "Claire Young, you are _not_ weak. You are human. A perfect, _perfect _human being. Don't be ashamed. I'm scared too. But there isn't a thing in this world that is going to stop me from loving you with all of my heart."

The look in her eyes nearly knocked all the air out of my lungs. Never had I ever seen anyone's eyes full of so much admiration. Her eyes were open windows to her magnificent soul, allowing me to see everything she was feeling. It was love. The purest, truest, strongest love. Her eyes twinkled, and not because they were still wet with tears. Every steel cable that tied my heart to hers grew stronger and pulled tighter. With that one look, our hearts merged together until there was no _my_ heart or _her_ heart, but _our _hearts, inseparable, indistinguishable, bonded forever.

"We'll leave, okay? Run away, go anywhere, just you and me."

"You don't mean that, Claire," I sighed.

"Yes I do," She argued.

"You're just feeling very caught up in your emotions."

"No. I'm not," She said, more annoyed this time. "We don't need to be gone forever. I wouldn't want that. Just a few years. And somewhere far where no one can find us. We'll get married, change our names, hell, we can even have children if you want."

My head was screaming, my heart was soaring, and my mouth was suddenly attacking Claire's.

I laid her flat on the mattress and put my knees on either side of her body, kneeling over her and kissing her with so much force and pressure that my teeth actually hurt. I didn't even know that was possible.

Claire's hands snaked in to my hair and pulled me closer, pressing my mouth impossibly harder against hers. I began to flick my tongue across hers and she let out a low moan. I growled and pushed her further down in to the mattress.

"Oh my God, shut up and go to sleep," Eliza's aggravated whisper came through the wall. "I'm not going to listen to this all night."

I growled again, this time in frustration, and released Claire, rolling over to lie beside her on the bed.

"You stopped," She commented quietly.

"Your sister apparently has a 'no noise' policy," I told her.

"Oh… yeah," I wasn't sure if Claire was blushing or if her face was flushed from the kissing. "She mentioned that earlier."

I glanced quickly at the darkness outside of Claire's bedroom window. As a werewolf, I was always out at night, and could give a good estimate on what time it was just my looking at the moon and the shade of the sky. It was probably well past ten o'clock. Claire had cried for a long time.

"Go to sleep baby," I whispered.

"What?" She turned to me in surprise.

"You didn't get much sleep last night, and today was a long day. You must be exhausted."

"I thought, I mean you made it seem like—aren't we running away?"

To be honest, I hadn't actually considered that. Hearing her say those things had distracted me. She probably thought that my kissing her meant I wanted to run away with her.

And did I want to? Of course. Was that the responsible thing to do? Of course not. Claire… responsibility… Claire… responsibility.

But Claire _was _my responsibility. My biggest, most important responsibility.

"We'll re-open this topic after you've had a good night's sleep, okay?" I gave a tired sigh.

With that, Claire pulled the blankets out from under her and got under the covers. (After kicking off her jeans, of course. Fuck me!)

Pantless-Claire got me under the covers as well and then cuddled up to my side.

"D—don't leave," She said, her eyes slowly closing.

"Never," I promised as her eyes shut for the night.

I was right about one thing, Claire _was _exhausted. Within two minutes, her breathing slowed to the steady rhythm of a sleeping angel.

I knew I should probably be trying to sleep too, but there was far too much on my mind. Anthony. Anthony and Claire. Claire and I. Anthony and I. Anthony. Me. Claire without pants on… (Okay, so maybe the last one was a little off topic, sue me for being turned on!)

It was probably drawing close to midnight when Claire's door opened a crack, light from the hallway cutting a thin strip of light through the darkness.

A head peeked through the door. Sam. He was looking directly at me. Now, a few weeks ago, if Sam had found me in Claire's room late at night, I would have been mortified. Now my presence at the house when Claire was around was expected.

_Can I talk to you? _He mouthed.

I nodded, gently slipping out of Claire's grasp. When our bodies were no longer touching, Claire frowned into her pillow and rolled over. I followed Sam silently down the hall until we reached the back door off of the kitchen. Sam opened it and motioned for me to step out. Once we were both standing on the deck, Sam shut the door softly.

"What's up, Sam?" I asked.

I was surprised to see him giving me the 'I'm a concerned father' look. What had I done now? Was he going to blame me for Claire's unhappiness? I would, if I were him.

"You know I consider Claire and Eliza my daughters, even if they don't consider me their father."

So that _was _what this was about.

"Look, Sam. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to rip your family apart like this. It's all my fault and—"

"Shut up, Quil. Don't try and blame yourself for any of this. None of us do. All you did was love Claire, that's nothing to feel bad about."

"Then what—"

"Well I'd rather have Claire on the other side of the reservation than the other side of the country. As an imprinter, it's your job to always put her first. You have to make sure you know the difference between what's best for _Claire _and what's best for _you_."

Oh, shit. So _that's _what he meant.

"I just can't stand to see her upset," I explained softly.

"It's hard, but you have to do what's best for her. And Quil, she's better off here, with her family and friends. And you have responsibilities to your pack."

"I know."

"And Claire is only sixteen."

"I know."

"And what is right is not always what you want."

"Sam, I know. I'm not running away with Claire, okay? I know it's wrong, I know it isn't good for her. It's just that logic and my feelings for her just—"

"Clash?" Sam guessed. I nodded.

"I know what you're going through, Quil. When you're in love, really, really in love, nothing else feels important. But you need to make sure that love doesn't overpower logic. Or else you'll end up like Jacob and Renesmee. Complete love addicts if you ask me, they may just die if they are ever truly separated."

"You're telling me."

"Love is salvation, but it is also destruction, keep that in mind." With that last cryptic line, Sam turned and melted into the shadows of the house.

_Claire_

I'm not sure which woke me, the daylight streaming through my window or the disappearance of his warmth.

"Quil?" I mumbled before opening my eyes.

"I have to go," He whispered, kissing me on the cheek, "His car just pulled up."

My eyes shot open. "You can't leave."

"I'll be back in five minutes. I need to look like I'm coming here from my house, not walking out of your room, because that's not going to look too good."

I frowned, and Quil kissed my pouty lips. "I'll be back, maybe with Embry. I might need protection from your psychotic father."

I giggled once, even though I didn't think he was joking. Then I was left all alone in my room. I decided to leave the window open to let in some fresh air. My head definitely needed some clearing after the crazy dreams I'd had last night.

I was having trouble distinguishing what really happened and what was just a dream.

Kissing Quil so hard that my lips felt swollen afterwards? _Real. _

Quil turning in to a wolf and me hearing his thoughts in my head? _Definitely a dream._

Quil considering running away with me?_ He never mentioned it this morning, so that must have been a dream. _

There was a light knock on my door before Emily popped in. "Do you have everything?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think."

"Did you leave out clothes for today?"

I pointed at the sweats and tank top folded neatly at the foot of my bed. The tank top was deep red and edged with lace. Emily smiled and shook her head. "I'm sure my brother will flip out when he sees Quil staring at you. Did you have to choose a red shirt?"

I just smirked.

"He's in the living room with Sam. It's going to be a few trips to get all the stuff. You should get dressed and go see him."

"I'd rather stay in here and sulk," I told her.

Emily sighed. "Claire, I know this, well… _sucks_. But I know my brother, or at least, I used to know him. What I'm trying to say is that… this will be a lot easier if you go along with it. Resisting isn't going to work, just make him angrier."

"I know," I mumbled.

"And try not to kill your sister, okay? She means well."

"She _does_?" I mused.

"Well, let's hope so," She smiled, her scar crinkling slightly.

_Amelia _

I was the one to answer the door. Mommy hadn't let me meet him the other day. She said he was a bad man. But now Mommy seemed too distracted to stop me.

The man who was apparently my uncle was a lot smaller than Daddy. But, then again, mostly everyone was smaller than Daddy (Except Jacob). He looked a little bit like Claire, but Claire looked a lot more like Auntie Mandy did. Claire's eyes were soft and warm, and his eyes were beady and hard. Claire's face wasn't as sharp as his, and her skin was a shade or two lighter.

"Hi," He smiled down at me (something I don't think he did very often), "You must be my niece."

"I guess I am," I said, studying him suspiciously.

"Emily was only a few months pregnant last time I saw her," He recalled.

"Do you know my name?" I asked him.

"I'm sorry to say I don't."

_Oh yeah, I'm sure he was _really_ sorry._

"Amelia, but my family calls me Melia for short. You can call me Amelia."

"Nice to meet you, Amelia, I'm Anthony."

"I know."

"May I come inside?" He asked uncomfortably.

I just stared at him.

"Come in," Daddy said, coming up behind me. I frowned and stepped aside.

"Hey Dad," Eliza smiled, sitting down on the couch.

"You all packed?" He asked.

"Yeah. I had… help," She fought back a grimace. _Hmm, what was that about? _Only her and Claire had been home yesterday afternoon. Mommy and Daddy both had to work and I was playing at Lola's house. She was a bit older than me, but we'd been friends since I was born. I had assumed that it was just Quil and maybe Embry helping out here, but maybe there was someone else. Who bothered Eliza? Who _really _bothered Eliza? (Well, besides me, of course.)

I knew the answer right away.

_Claire _

I don't know if Dad noticed how hard I was glaring at him or not, but if he did, he wasn't letting on to it.

"Claire, when are you going to stop glaring at me?" He asked.

"Never," I replied immediately.

"This is going to be good for you, trust me."

"I don't," I said, just as sharply and quickly as before.

"Claire likes being difficult," Eliza told him. I ignored her.

"When are you going to get up and help us load up these boxes?"

"When Quil gets here," I answered.

"He's coming over?" Dad asked angrily.

"We're always together, Dad. You can take me from my home, force me under your roof, try and rebuild our family, but you can't stop me from being with Quil." My voice was cold, sharp, and one hundred percent serious.

He didn't respond. I continued to sit on the couch, arms crossed over my chest, frowning deeply.

A few minutes later, I heard Quil's truck pull up. By the change in his expression, I knew Dad did too.

"Lover boy here?" He asked grudgingly.

"Unless Eliza was expecting someone," I replied dryly, hopping up and going to open the door for them. Quil could have let himself in, but Dad would have probably had something negative to say about that. I was going to be living with two of the most negative people I had ever met.

"Hey, Claire," It was Seth. He smiled at me, giving me a bear-hug.

"Don't tell me, you've got _two_ werewolf boyfriends?" Dad guessed.

Seth let go of me immediately, eyes wide with surprise. "No. Of course not, I would never—I mean, I just haven't seen her in a while and—I'm a hugger, and I have a girlfriend sir and—I'm gonna just grab a box now."

"Dad, you remember Seth, right?"

"They all look the same to me."

"He's your cousin…"

"He is?"

I glowered at my father and his lack of manners, but before I could say anything Quil came inside.

"I brought my truck, so you guys won't have to make so many trips," Was the first thing he said.

"Thank you, Quil, that was very considerate," Emily smiled, handing him a box. "Here, take this for me, my arms are tired."

Quil smiled down at her and scooped the box out of her arms, acting as if it weighed nothing at all. "Are we loading in Sam's truck first or does it not matter?"

"Go home and take your sidekick with you," Dad mumbled.

"Dad!" I hissed. "Quil isn't even _doing_ anything." Dad made a huffy noise and walked out with a box.

"You can start loading in Sam's truck," Emily said softly. Quil nodded, and brought the box out, Seth (with another box) behind him. Eliza was leaning against the wall, just examining her fingernails. I felt the sudden urge to take _my _fingernails and drag them down her face.

No one else spoke as Sam, Quil, Seth, and my father finished taking the boxes from the living room and putting them in their trucks. There were still enough left over boxes that another trip would need to be made.

"So how far is this house?" Sam asked.

"Only about three miles from here," Anthony said, looking at me with a smile. "You'll like it Claire, it's really nice."

"I don't care," I muttered.

Sam and Seth were going in Sam's truck. Eliza and Dad were taking his car, and I was riding with Quil. (Amelia and Emily were staying behind to make breakfast.)

Once we were in his truck, Quil acknowledged me. "Don't frown, Claire. I hate when you frown."

"I know, but I can't stop," I told him. He started down the street, one hand on the wheel. His other hand reached out to me and I took it, squeezing gently.

"I love you."

"I love you," I repeated.

"Pretend I'm kissing you right now," He smiled.

"What kind of kiss?" I bit back the smile threatening to crawl on to my face. Damn Quil for being able to cheer me up when I wanted to be mad.

"Like I did the first time I kissed you."

"So pretend that I'm suspended above the ground with my back against a wall while you attack my mouth?"

Quil laughed. "Yeah, pretend that."

"Ow!" I yelped.

Quil slammed on the breaks. "What is it?"

"You bit my lip," I said before cracking up.

"Not funny, Claire."

"You wanted me to stop being upset, right?"

Quil just shook his head with a smile and continued to follow Sam's truck.

"I like your shirt, by the way," He said, looking sideways at me and grinning.

"Well, I rather hoped you would."

"It's kind of difficult though, because now I can't look at you in front of your father."

"Why not?" I frowned.

"It's best if he doesn't see me ogling your chest."

"Screw him." He didn't respond.

A minute later we pulled up to a white two story house. It was old, but all of the houses in La Push were old. Dad had mentioned that it was two floors, but I guess the detail had slipped my mind. Most of the houses in northern La Push were two stories. I had never had a bedroom that wasn't on the first floor. I had never lived in a house with an upstairs. When my mom was still alive we lived close to Emily and Sam, in west La Push. I had no memories of living anywhere but there. I had never really talked to the kids at school who lived in north La Push, they were all kind of snooty to me, thinking they were so great for living on the nicest part of the res.

"Well let's look inside, shall we?" Eliza asked, coming over to me.

"Fine," I mumbled.

"I want first pick on bedroom," She stated.

"No," I shot her down quickly. Eliza looked surprised.

"Why do you care, you don't even want to live here."

_Because I need the bedroom furthest away from Dad's. _

"Because I'm older," Is what I actually said.

"We'll bring the boxes inside, you girls feel free to look around," Dad told us. I made eye contact with Quil briefly and then walked inside. No goodbye kiss today.

The front door opened to a front entrance area. To the right was the dining room and to the left was the staircase. Straight ahead sat the living room. It was a basic living room and Dad apparently hadn't finished unpacking. There was a suede tan sectional couch across from a flat screen TV and a matching tan loveseat to the right of the couch. The kitchen was open to the living room, divided by a bar and some stools. The appliances in the kitchen must have been updated in the past couple years, because they were stainless steel.

"Nice," Eliza commented. I shrugged. We turned back and headed for the stairs. The guys came in the house with the first few boxes just as I finished climbing the stairs.

There were four bedrooms upstairs along the hallway. Two were on the long wall and separated by a bathroom and one was on each far wall, facing each other from across the hall. The one right at the top of the stairs had Dad's things in them. I pointed at the opposite side of the hallway.

"My room."

"You haven't even seen it yet."

"My room," I repeated, starting down the hall. As I headed down the hall I looked over at small section of railing on the opposite side of the rooms, which looked over the front door. It was just a small section of wooden railing and quickly disappeared into wall, but I rather liked the look of it anyways. Once I reached my room, I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

It was perfect. The room was situated in the back corner of the house, and the walls directly across from the door and to my right each had large windows. Even better, the windows were facing the forest (which the house was backing on to). The best part of the room was it was as far away from my father's as possible. Eliza pushed past me and walked in to my room.

"Get out of my room," I ordered. She ignored me, _no surprise._

Eliza stopped in front of what appeared to be my closet and slid the door open, a look of deep concentration on her face.

"Eh, the closet in the next room over is bigger and closer to the bathroom, so fine. Take the big room."

"Uhhh, thanks?"

"Let's go see how they're doing unpacking," Eliza suggested.

Apparently, they weren't doing too hot.

_Quil_

"You can't not let me see her, Anthony!" I yelled. We were standing next to Sam's truck, facing off (With my face quite a bit higher up than his).

"Watch me."

"She can live under your roof, go by your rules, I don't care. But you can't stop us from being together. She's my _soul mate_."

"No, she's a fucking sixteen year old girl!"

"Yes, she is. How smart of you to notice," I rolled my eyes.

"Don't use that tone with me or I swear I'll–"

"Whatever Anthony, go ahead. Call the cops. Here you can use my cell phone," I handed it to him. "If I can't see Claire then I might as well rot in jail."

Seth decided to step in. "Come on, man. Think reasonably."

"Stay out of this," Both Anthony and I snapped at the same time.

Seth didn't listen and turned to Anthony, "Sir, Quil has a responsibility to his pack—"

"He wants to go to jail, so he can go to jail. Perverts like him deserve to be locked up." I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn't say anything.

Now Sam was involved, stepping in between them and plucking the phone from my father's hand. "Enough of this. Back to work."

"Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?" Anthony turned to him.

"I think that I'm Claire's legal guardian, and care about her happiness, which you clearly don't."

_Woo! Yeah! Tell him!_

"But I care about her safety, which you obviously disregard, since you let her have a relationship with a—"

"A werewolf? Yes, werewolves can be very dangerous, Anthony. Say another word and you'll see just how true that is. Claire has been around them her entire life and if I thought they would hurt her I would never let her around them."

"Well, I suppose no one really knows werewolves better than you. But things can go wrong at any time, can't they Sam? It just takes one moment of lost control. Look at Emily."

The surprise in the air was palpable. No one had been expecting Anthony would say such a thing. That he would even have the nerve…

My cell phone slipped from Sam's hand as his body began to shake. Seth recognized what was happening instantly.

"No Sam! Calm down. He didn't mean it, calm down!" He caged Sam's quivering body in his arms. "Quil, a little help here?"

"Let him," I spat.

"Quil!" Claire screeched, running towards Sam. How long had she been outside? How long had she been watching?

"Uncle Sam, stop it," She ordered.

"Claire, move out of the way," Seth whispered.

"I thought he stopped being a wolf," Anthony said, more to himself than the others.

"He stopped phasing. There's a difference," I growled. Without thinking, I sped with an inhuman speed towards them and wrapped my arms around Claire, plucking her off of the ground and carrying her away from Sam.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Anthony yelled.

"Removing your daughter from a potentially dangerous situation, look how responsible I am," I replied dryly.

"Quil," Claire said quietly as I put her down fifteen feet away from where she had been, "You need to calm Uncle Sam down."

"Why?"

She narrowed her eyes, and I couldn't deny her. I huffed and went back over to Sam. "Calm down, Sam. No attacking. Don't upset Claire."

"I'm going to kill him," Sam announced through his teeth.

None of us were expecting the bloodcurdling scream that Eliza gave. Everyone's head whipped towards her. As it turns out, she was not frightened at all. She was smiling.

"Now that I have everyone's attention, let's stop acting like we're on Jerry Springer and calm the hell down. Sam, you're vibrating like a massage chair, Dad, you're being an ass hole, and that's coming from _me, _Quil, stop being a drama queen, Claire, stop doing the stupid stuff you always seem to be doing, Seth, congratulations on being the only other person here with any sanity. I'm going upstairs, try not to kill each other."

We all stood in a stunned silence as she turned around and sauntered in to the house.

"So, lets finish moving these boxes, shall we?" Seth smiled cheerily.

We did, and returned for the second round. After all of the boxes were at the new house, we went back to Sam and Emily's. Emily made us all sit down in the living room and eat breakfast. _Together. _

I ignored the glare from Anthony and sat next to Claire, my hand resting gently on her leg. Seth sat beside me, trying to keep the spirits up by constantly complimenting Emily on her cooking skills.

"I love bacon. Really. It's so good, Em. You're like a bacon wizard."

"I helped," Amelia boasted. Seth gave her a big smile, too.

"And these pancakes!" Seth continued. "Delish!"

"Thank you, Seth," Emily smiled.

"I am curious, Emily. Why are you not at work? Or Sam?" Anthony questioned.

"Sam worked yesterday so he could take today off, and I don't work in the morning."

"What do you do?"

"I take care of the elderly on the reservation and in surrounding areas. Leah's been helping me for the past year or so."

"Our cousin Leah?"

"Yeah," Seth answered. "My sister."

"Oh, now I remember you," Anthony exclaimed. Seth seemed somewhat pleased.

The small talk bothered me. Immensely.

"One big happy family," I muttered under my breath. Seth was the only one who seemed to hear.

It was silent for a moment. Then, Anthony turned to where Claire and I were sitting. "So, here's the deal. I'm not going to forbid you from seeing Claire, but there are conditions. You are only allowed in my house between three and six Mondays and Wednesdays and between three and seven on Fridays. You can see Claire on the weekends, but her curfew is nine o'clock sharp. And under no circumstances are you aloud to be alone with Claire in her room."

I knew that I should be grateful, and I was, but I also felt kind of sick. Any Claire time was better than no Claire time… but this wasn't even close to enough time. I could barely be away from her for more than an hour.

"Thank you, sir," I said politely, even though I kind of wanted to wring his neck.

"Oh, and get your hand off of my daughters leg or I will cut it off. You may be a wolf, but I don't think your healing magic will grow you a new one."

For some reason, I didn't doubt him, and my hand was on my own leg in an instant. Claire looked almost like she wanted to stick her tongue out at her father, but she resisted. Thank God. I had only kissed Claire once today, and seeing her tongue probably would have made me lose control.

I never did get to kiss her again that day. And at six o'clock sharp I was sent away.

The next day was Tuesday, and for the first day in a month, I didn't see Claire at all.

**Author's Note: So this chapter has been finished for a while now, but I haven't had time to edit it, sorry! Science Fair and History Fair are due this week and I've been super busy. This chapter was long, so I hope that made up for the wait. As you can see, the focus is shifting back to Quil and Claire for a while. After all, this story is about them first, and Eliza second. I know the story is slow right now, but I promise you the next few chapters will prove to be quite interesting indeed. Also, let me remind you guys to go like Quil and Claire: the Perfect Two on facebook. Pretty please? If you do I'll post cast pictures. Oh, and review! You know how I love your reviews. **


	30. Idealist

**Author's Note: This is just a brief note regarding some complaints by reviewers about all of the Eliza lately. Yes, I know she is being very irritating and bitchy. That's who she is. Eliza has a lot of growing to do as a person, but in order for her to grow you are going to have to put up with her. This story is going to be split almost 50/50 between the girls. Sometimes focusing more on Claire, sometimes more on Eliza. For those of you who hate Eliza, I'm sorry and I hope I can eventually change your mind. But don't expect her to just wake up one morning a new person. This chapter and the one after focuses mainly on Quil and Claire, so I hope you all enjoy. **

_Quil_

Wednesday at 2:59 I knocked on Claire's front door. To my disappointment, it was Anthony who answered. "You're early," He grumbled.

"I can stand out here for fifteen more seconds if it will really make you happy," I offered sardonically.

"How about you just stay out there forever, fucking mutt."

"Dad!" I heard my angel hiss from the top of the stairs. I leaned around Anthony to get my first look at Claire as she descended the stairs. The second my eyes landed on her, a stupid grin plastered itself on my face. Our eyes made contact and she gave me a quick giddy smile before proceeding to chew out her father for his lack of manners.

"You promised you'd be pleasant," She reminded.

"I made no such promise. I promised I wouldn't shoot him with my rifle."

I swallowed hard. I knew that it wouldn't kill me, but I really didn't feel like getting shot in the near future.

"Seriously, Dad. You're acting like a child about this entire thing. Quil has never been anything but good to me!"

"I'm sure he has," Anthony mumbled in disgust.

I couldn't take it much longer. I was still outside the door, Claire was inside, and the only thing between us was her Goddamned father.

As if reading my mind, Claire asked, "Can he come in now?"

Anthony huffed and stepped aside, allowing me entrance.

And here is how the next three hours passed by. Claire and I sitting on the couch, her curled up to my side, talking about little insignificant things… And Anthony sitting in the loveseat reading the newspaper, looking up every minute or so to glare at me.

The only time we were alone was when he went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I used this time to finally give Claire a hug and whisper a quick "I love you" in her ear.

Even though Anthony watched us like a hawk the entire time, I was elated to get to spend time with Claire. Just getting to look at her and feel her pressed against my side—shoulder to shoulder, hands intertwined—was good enough for me. At least it was time with her.

At six o'clock sharp, Anthony put the paper down and told me to get out of his house.

"Can I at least walk him to his truck, Dad?" Claire pleaded.

"Fine, but you better be back inside in five minutes."

Claire looked surprised, like she hadn't actually expected him to say yes, and then led me towards the front door. The second the front door fell shut behind us, Claire let out a huge breath.

"That was terrible," She exclaimed.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't _so _bad." Claire gave me a pointed look.

"Okay, so maybe it was pretty bad… at least I got to see you."

"Tomorrow is Thursday," Claire noted miserably.

"Don't worry Claire, we'll be back together before you know it." It physically hurt me to have to say these words to her. It sucked having to comfort your girlfriend when on the inside you were dying right alongside her.

We had reached the door of my truck, and I figured that this may be the only opportunity I would have to kiss Claire for who knows how long. So after a quick peek at the front door, I pulled Claire into my arms. She looked surprised for a second as my lips met hers and quickly pushed me away.

"Quil," She warned, "My Dad."

"Your father can go fuck himself," I smirked, backing Claire up until she was against the door of my truck.

"This position feels slightly familiar," Claire breathed.

"Déjà vu," I muttered before my lips crashed down on hers. This time Claire didn't resist me.

If being without Claire killed every cell in my body, then kissing her brought every one of them back to life. No, more than that, it lit them up with so much light that every cell in my body caught fire. Not the burning of vampire venom on your skin, but the kind of burning that can only be described as passion. Intense, beautiful, passion.

Intense, beautiful, passion ruined by a forty-one year old man with a gun…

"WHAT THE HELL?" Anthony shouted as the front door swung open.

"Oh shit!" I cursed, jumping away from Claire immediately.

"You sick bastard!" He shouted, aiming the rifle at me.

"Whoa now," I put my hands in front of me cautiously, "Put the gun down, Anthony. Lets not do anything illegal now…"

Anthony almost laughed. "Are we really going to talk about what is and isn't illegal when you were just mouth-fucking my teenage daughter?"

I was speechless.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you," He said.

"Dad!" Claire yelled. "Put the damn gun down! We were _just _kissing."

"One reason Quil!" He shouted, ignoring Claire completely.

"Because if you shot me nothing would happen. You can't kill me."

Anthony didn't lower his gun.

"Dad, you promised!" Claire screamed. Anthony didn't lower his gun.

"I'm waiting…"

"Because Claire would never forgive you?"

Anthony huffed and dropped the gun. "Leave." He ordered. "Now."

I didn't need to be told twice. But I _did _need to give Claire a quick kiss on the forehead and tell her I loved her before hopping in my car.

"I love you too," Claire whispered as my truck pulled away.

_Claire_

The events of the week eventually brought me back to Mom. I needed someone to talk to, someone to be there for me when Quil couldn't. It was Thursday, a no-Quil day, and I was headed for the graveyard.

I hadn't been there since… Mason.

The memory made my head hurt. It was cold, I was crying, he was there, in all of his badass glory.

And now he was probably in jail somewhere.

I mentally slapped myself for thinking something so terrible about someone.

I felt bad for him.

Especially now.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. _Stop thinking about him, Claire. He made his choice. _

The cemetery was deserted, as always. It's not that people in La Push didn't die, it's just that no one bothered to visit the graves. No one but me.

Once, when I was younger, I had brought Quil here, and tried to get him to talk to his Dad. I said it would make him feel better, but Quil had refused. That was one of the only times he had ever refused me.

Mom's grave was situated close to a massive tree, one of the only ones in the cemetery. I was almost expecting Mason to be leaning against it, smoking his cigarette like last time, but he was nowhere to be found.

I shook the last traces of Mason memory out of my head and focused on the matter at hand. It was hard enough to convince Dad to let me out of the house. Especially after the er… _incident _yesterday. He thought that I was going to sneak out of the house to see Quil, even though I insisted I was just going to visit Mom's grave. His exact words were:

"What kind of teenage girl hangs out at the graveyard? Do you think I'm a fool, Claire?"

Eliza had stepped in at that point, saying that I wasn't lying. I went to the cemetery often, and it wasn't something out of character for me. I had smiled at her.

So, grudgingly, Dad had given me the keys to his car and told me to be back in an hour.

I sighed and sat down next to my mother's stone. "Hi Mom," I began softly. "It's been forever, or at least it feels like it. It's only been a month, actually. Remember last time, I was crying about Quil? As it turns out, he's been in love with me this whole time. Oh, but I guess you knew that, didn't you? You knew everything all along. You _and _Dad. I've had the most amazing month, Mom. I've never been happier than I am with Quil. He's the sweetest, gentlest, most romantic loving person in the entire world. I love him so much, and he loves me too. I wish you could be here to see how happy he makes me. Happy isn't even the right word… More like giddy. He turns me in to some giddy little love-struck girl. But it's deeper than that. We're really, _really _in love. If you're watching over me, you'd know that Quil and I—uh, well... yeah. But things are getting bad again. Dad's back. He isn't too happy about Quil and I. He's _livid_. He threatened to get Quil arrested if I didn't move in with him. I've only been there a few days… but it's _hell _Mom. If you were alive, I know you would understand," My voice choked up on the last sentence as I started to cry.

"So, is this like, your crying spot?"

I jumped, whirling around quickly. I hadn't sensed anyone else there. I hadn't heard his approach.

A stream of smoke floated into the air from the end of his cigarette. Just like the last time. His back was to the tree. Just like the last time.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

It was Mason.

He wore an amused smile, presumably from my astonished expression. "Hello, Claire."

"Uh… ba… wha…" I stammered intelligently. "Hi?"

"Fancy meeting you here," He mused.

"How… you… and... uh… when… huh?"

"You do remember how to make coherent sentences, right? Or is it my movie star good looks taking away your ability to talk straight?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" I finally managed.

"Smoking a cigarette," He stated obviously.

I ignored him. "Oh God, your mom must be so happy to have you back! What were you thinking leaving her all alone?"

Mason gave me a hard look, "Pretending to be oblivious is my thing, remember? That's why you're getting short, stupid answers."

I just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He clenched his fist and then released it with a sigh. "Are you going to make me say it?"

"No," I breathed. It was quiet for a moment as we simply looked at each other, not sure what to make of the other's presence.

"She isn't, by the way… happy to see me. I showed up at her door last night, and she basically disowned me. Said she wanted nothing to do with me."

"That's horrible," I sympathized, my voice nothing but genuine.

"God, please no, Claire. Don't do this whole 'Pity Mason' thing. I'm a big boy, okay? I can take care of myself."

I was still in disbelief that Mason was actually standing in front of me. It was like I was sleeping, but I wasn't really having a bad dream or a good dream. It was just… a dream.

"So you planning on living in the cemetery then?" I inquired.

"Well the dead _are _the only people around who don't hate my guts."

"That's not true!"

"Name three people who don't hate me," He challenged.

"Danny doesn't hate you, I actually think he kinda misses you. Eliza doesn't hate you."

"She barely knows me, and that's only two."

"Well, I thought the third one was obvious."

He gave me a puzzled look and I rolled my eyes. "_I _don't hate you."

Mason arched an eyebrow. "You don't?"

"Did I ever _say_ that I hated you?" I asked angrily.

"Well, not out loud but…"

"I don't know why you try to make everyone dislike you Mason, but you aren't a bad guy. I know that you love your mom, and you saved Quil's life and—"

"Wow, Princess told you that, did he? What a blow that must have been to his pride…"

I glared at him. He smirked back.

"How come the only time you smoke is when you're here?" I asked randomly, my eye catching on his cigarette once again.

"So I can leave my ashes with the ashes?" He tried. I pretended I hadn't even heard him and continued to wait for his answer. This worked well.

"I come here to be alone, I smoke when I'm alone. You just keep messing up the 'alone' part."

"Would you like me to leave?" I asked seriously.

"No, stay," He smiled. "If anyone had to ruin my solitude, I'm glad it was you."

I wasn't sure whether to frown or smile, but ended up blushing instead.

"You're easily embarrassed," He noted.

"Your observational skills are truly mind boggling," I responded mockingly. He laughed.

"So does that mean I was right in observing that you are upset?" He asked, coming over to me and brushing the leftover tears off of my face with his rough, warm hands.

"Uh yeah, I guess so."

"What happened?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Oh, I think it does. You seem pretty tough, there's only one thing that I've seen you cry about."

"There's only one thing that matters to me enough to cry about," I replied quietly, my eyes on my shoes.

"Princess," He concluded.

"You really ought to stop calling him that, it's rude." Mason shrugged.

"Well I know he didn't break up with you so… what happened?"

"Stop," I ordered.

"Stop what?" His eyes were boring in to mine.

"Acting like you care. About me, Quil, anything. Just stop, okay?"

"I do care, Claire, about you at least. Your boyfriend could rot in hell for all I care."

I gasped. "That's a terrible thing to say!"

I'd rather be miserable at my father's house than spend another minute listening to Mason insult Quil. I pushed Mason away from me, storming towards the entrance.

Before I could get seven steps away, Mason appeared in front of me. I jumped a little. I had forgotten just how fast wolves can move when they wanted to.

"I'm sorry, Claire. You're right, that was too far. Please don't leave yet. It's been a while since I've had a real conversation with someone."

I looked up at him. It seemed like he had grown a little taller since I last saw him. He was probably just around six foot two now. He was still lean, like Collin or Jamie or Danny. Muscular, yes, but lean at the same time. Not like Quil… everything about Quil was massive. Six foot four and a half, coated in muscle, and a huge heart to match. (Something Mason seemed to lack.)

I gave up with a sigh, "Fine."

He smiled briefly. "So, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but uh, it sounds like your dad is back?"

I nodded, trying to force the tears back.

A look of confusion swept over Mason's face. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Do you want to see _your _father again?" I retaliated. He grimaced.

"It's one thing that he decided to just storm back into my life, but he decided to take over everything, too. He's making me live with him because he says Sam and Emily were too easygoing and they let me date a thirty year old man. And then—"

"Quil is _thirty_?"

"You didn't know?"

"Slipped my mind I guess. Sorry, continue."

"And then he went on to say that if I _didn't _live with him he was going to take Quil to court for being a pedophile. And I moved in with him Monday, and now I barely get to see Quil."

"It sucks that you had to leave Sam and Emily's," He told me.

"I wasn't really staying at Sam and Emily's," I admitted quietly. Mason frowned, but didn't say anything.

"No offense, Mason, but why are you here?" I asked him, studying his face.

"I was staying with my grandma in California. I was right you know, when I told you that she must have known my grandpa was a werewolf. The second I showed up at her door, she knew. She took me in, and I told her about everything that happened to me. How I met grandpa, the pack, the vampires, you… but then three days ago she kicked me out. Told me I had to get my life back together, face what I was, and I quote 'man the fuck up.'"

I laughed. "Your grandmother did _not_ say fuck."

"She totally did."

There was a momentary silence. "That doesn't answer why you're _here_."

He looked hesitant to answer. "Well, I have responsibilities to the pack. And my mom is here. She doesn't care about me, but that doesn't mean I don't care about her."

"Your mom loves you. She's just… hurt. I bet she thinks you're the one who doesn't care about her. After all, you did just get up and run away to California."

"She's never going to forgive me," He said, more to himself than me. I didn't comment.

"So, does Jacob know you're back? Did you run here?"

"No and no. I was thinking about running… but the whole pack mind thing is very annoying and I didn't want to deal with that. My grandma got me a flight here. I think she was glad to be rid of me."

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to say that his grandma love him just like his mother did. "When are you going to him?"

"To Jake? Whenever I can convince myself that this isn't the stupidest thing I've ever done."

"So let me clarify here… You're planning on staying here in the cemetery, with no home, no pack, no nothing until you can convince yourself that you actually _want _to be here."

"Oh, I don't think I'll ever actually _want _to be here. That's like saying I _want _to jump into a pool of boiling oil."

"Is La Push really that bad?"

"Yes," He answered certainly.

"Well do you _have_ to stay at the graveyard?" I questioned.

Mason shrugged. "I've got nowhere else to go, unless you have any ideas."

"Actually," I smiled widely. "I do."

_Mason _

"Where are we?" I asked as we stepped out of the car. We were outside a little blue house. I couldn't identify the scent, there were too many. The pack had obviously been through this house a lot.

"Just come on," She said, grabbing my wrist and tugging me forward.

I knew it wasn't a loving thing, but her touch still made my blood sing. I almost hated her for it. In the month I'd been gone I'd felt the touch of dozens of girls, but after one touch from Claire I couldn't even recall a single name. Maybe I did deserve to go to hell, but I always thought that would be once I died. Why did my life have to be its own version of hell? Why did I have to be in love with the girl who was in love with my enemy?

The funny thing was that Quil probably wouldn't have been my enemy if he didn't have Claire. He was with the angel in heaven, and I was rotting in lovesick hell.

_Life blows. _

And I couldn't even commit suicide.

Once we reached the front door she released my wrist, and the warmth from her touch iced over.

Claire knocked once at the door, and I had enough time to hope it wasn't Quil on the other side before it swung open.

I let out a breath. _Not Princess. _

It was someone else who absolutely hated me. Embry.

His eyes landed on Claire first and he looked confused to see her, then they drifted over to me and he looked genuinely surprised for a second before he became totally pissed. I smiled at him. He growled.

Knowing I just ruined Embry's day made me feel just a _little _better.

Claire smiled at Embry, walking right past him like she owned the place and disappearing down a hallway. Embry didn't move his glare, and I didn't let my smug smile falter.

On the inside, I was freaking out. Why did Claire bring me _here_? Embry lived with… Quil.

_No, _I thought. _She couldn't possibly be that crazy. _

_Quil_

Waking up to find your girlfriend six inches above your face is always a nice surprise.

"Hey," I said, pulling her down a little until our lips connected briefly. "What are you doing here, baby? It's Thursday."

"You would do anything for me, right?" She asked, running a hand down my chest. The way she was on me had her practically straddling me and I was suddenly reminded of the fact that I hadn't had sex with Claire since Saturday night. _Torture._

"Yes?" I replied suspiciously.

"You promise?" She brushed her lips across my neck and I pulled her body flush against mine. _Curse my girlfriend for being such a seductress. _

"What is it, Claire?" I breathed.

"Just promise."

"I promise," I told her, hoping I wouldn't regret it. She smiled and rewarded me with a deep kiss.

"Come with me," She whispered after the kiss was through. When her body was no longer on top of mine I felt terrible, like someone had just hacked off a body part.

I sighed and followed behind her as she headed towards the front door. All I really wanted to do was pull her back into my room and keep her prisoner in my arms…

A second later, I entered the living room/front door area.

_WHAT THE FUCK?_

Mason. _Mason! _What was he doing here? Why was he at my house? Why was he at my house _with Claire. _

"Surprise!" Claire gave an apprehensive smile.

"What the—"

"You can't be serious, Claire," Mason interrupted. Hearing his voice made me unspeakably annoyed.

"Why is he here?" I demanded, staring down at her.

"He has nowhere else to go," She explained softly.

Did she expect me to care? About _Mason_? The only person I hated more than Mason was Claire's father. Neither of them were allowed in my house.

"And?"

"Maybe he could just crash on your couch for a while?" She batted her eyelashes.

"No way," Embry shot her down immediately.

"Claire, this is stupid. I'd rather sleep next to my fucking father's grave then stay here," Mason told her.

"Don't be ridiculous!" She said.

"No, Claire. _You _don't be ridiculous," I shot back.

"You promised you'd do anything for me!" She reminded.

"I was distracted! You were laying on top of me in my bed."

"I can't even come up with a sarcastic comment," Mason scoffed.

"Wow, you don't have something to say? That's new," I snapped, finally addressing him directly.

"Nice to see you too, Quil. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. Can I leave now?"

"Please do," Embry encouraged. "Door's wide open."

"Everyone stay!" Claire commanded in a loud and in-charge voice. Mad Claire was kind of sexy, I thought distractedly.

We all shut up.

"So, this is how it is going to work. Mason is going to stay here, and we—by we I mean the three of you—are going to work out our little issues and all become the best of friends because it will make Claire very happy. Savvy?" Claire looked between us.

"They aren't just 'little issues' Claire," Mason objected. "I can't stand him."

"Then sit down," She said plainly.

"Three days of living with your father and you've become like a mini-version of him. Forcing people to live places where they don't want to live and all…" Embry noted. Claire glared at him.

"I am not my father. I am an idealist," She said through her teeth.

Then Claire turned back to me, gazing up at me with those beautiful brown eyes. "Please, Quil." She pleaded. "Do it for me."

_Damn it. _

_ Don't do it Quil. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't—_

"Fine," I mumbled.

Claire smiled hugely and pulled me down for an excited kiss.

"I'm going to be sick," Mason said under his breath. I kissed Claire harder.

"Wait a fucking minute," Embry said. Claire released me and turned to face him. "I live here too. And Claire, you know you're like a sis, but I'm not in love with you and I don't owe you anything… and I _don't _want Mason here."

"You guys are just too sweet. Makes me feel all warm inside."

"Shut up, Mason, or I won't do you any more favors," Claire said. Hearing her tell him to shut up filled me with joy.

"You call this a favor?" He snorted.

"Why do all guys have tunnel vision? This is going to be a good thing in the long run, you'll see. And Embry, I'm sure if I brought this up with Jacob he'd agree with me. Harmony in the pack is essential, is it not?"

Embry huffed. "Well how long is he going to be here?"

"Until he finds somewhere else to stay."

"Doesn't he have a mother?"

I saw Mason grimace momentarily, but he covered it quickly. "Disowned me."

"Well there's a shock," Embry mumbled.

Claire shot eye-daggers at him.

"Don't be mad at me, Claire. Come morning I'll be the only guy you have left, since these idiots are going to destroy each other."

"Hey, since when am I an idiot?" I asked defensively.

"Since you became so fucking whipped that you allowed _him_," He jabbed a finger in Mason's direction, "To live here!"

Before I could retaliate, a new voice spoke up.

"Who's whipped?" It was then I realized that the front door was still open, and Eliza was leaning against the doorframe.

"What are you doing here, Liza?" Claire asked, spinning around to look at her.

"I could ask you the same question, Cuh-laire," She said, breaking Claire's name into two syllables. "You're supposed to be at the cemetery."

"I was," She defended.

"Uh huh." She looked around the room once. "Hello, Mason. How are you doing?"

"I've had better days," He shrugged.

"How did you get here?" Claire interrogated.

"Emily picked me up from Dad's. I was supposed to go to the beach with Lisa, but she had to cancel. I was going to go to the graveyard and make you give me a ride home, but something told me you weren't there. I was right, as always." She smirked her little Eliza smirk.

What color am I thinking of?" Embry snickered.

"Trick question, you aren't thinking of any color. You're making a reference to what happened a few days ago which is _not _appreciated by the way. You'll pay for that," She replied in a cold, almost calculated voice.

"Where's Dad?" Claire asked nervously.

"At home, working. Probably wondering where you are. You've been gone over an hour, you know."

"Shit," She breathed.

"Wait, does this mean you have to leave?" I frowned.

"Unfortunately."

"Yeah, what a tragedy. Now you won't get to see him until tomorrow. How _do _you survive?" Eliza mused.

Claire ignored her, turning back to me with a glum expression. "See you tomorrow," She whispered.

"Three o'clock sharp," I assured her.

"I heard Dad pointed a gun at you yesterday." Eliza stated.

Embry burst out laughing. "No way man, why didn't you say anything?"

"It's no big deal. It wouldn't have killed me anyways."

"How unfortunate," Mason frowned. My hands curled into fists at my sides. Claire noticed and grabbed my hands, prying them open.

"Be nice," She ordered gently.

"I'll refrain from killing him," I nodded. She sighed and I peeked at Mason before lifting Claire up and kissing her passionately.

_Yeah, fuck you. Look at me make out with _my _girlfriend, _the childish part of my brain shouted. _Mine! Mine! Mine! _

When I placed Claire down again, I saw Mason glaring at me, his face a mix of anger and disgust.

_Sorry Claire, _I thought. _We are nowhere near a beautiful friendship._

**REVIEW! And go like Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two on Facebook. Cast pictures posted.**


	31. Three Heads Are NOT Better

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! My school musical was last weekend and I had been so busy. This chapter just took forever to write. I promise things will start picking up after these next two or three chapters. Everything is still coming together and then we can get to the good parts. I really believe all of you are going to love part II twice as much as you loved part I. (Pun intended.) Just a heads up, this is an all-guy pov chapter and the next one will be all girls. I love you all. PLEASE review and let me know what you think. **

_Quil_

So I tried to be civil, I really did.

It's not my fault that Mason brings out the worst in me.

_Or at least, I don't think it is…_

I'll admit, maybe me shoving him through the wall was a _little _uncalled for.

_Nah… he deserved it. _

The second Claire left, he just _had _to open his stupid fucking mouth. "So I knew you were a pussy, but I wasn't aware you were also a child molester. That's pretty gross, even for you."

"Claire is not a child and I am not a pussy," I huffed, stomping off to the kitchen.

"Well I guess _Claire_ knows what you have down there, doesn't she? Forget about Princess, I should really start calling you Chester the Molester."

"Did you come back just to annoy me?" I questioned.

"Really Chester, you think _much_ too highly of yourself. My life doesn't revolve around pissing you off, although I must admit it's entertaining."

I gritted my teeth together. "So then what are you doing here?"

"Claire is very demanding, is it the same when you two are in the bedroom? Because I certainly wouldn't be surprised…" he continued.

"Just stop talking."

"You brought this on yourself, Chester. Maybe if you weren't such a pussy neither of us would be in this mess. Do you think I _want_ to live here? Of course not. But you can't deny Claire and apparently either can I. So think of a way to get us out of this, and do it fast. Life really sucks for you lately, doesn't it?"

"Remember that time my fist said 'hi' to your face?"

"You mean after I was flirting with Claire? It's funny, Chester, she's _your_ girlfriend, but she seems to have _my _well-being in mind first. Maybe she's bored with you, God knows any other girl would be."

And that is how the wall in the kitchen got a hole in it.

"Fuck!" Mason cursed as his body slammed into the wall. There was a cracking sound as the wall dented. Or maybe that was his back.

"What the hell just happened?" Embry called angrily from the living room.

"Chester just broke my fucking back! FUCK!"

"It's not that bad, I didn't even shove you too hard," I mumbled, turning and heading towards my room.

Apparently, I really _didn't _slam him hard enough, because he was able to get up and jump me from behind. I fit the floor head first as his fist connected with my cheek. It really fucking hurt.

"Get the hell off of me," I growled, pushing him back. Embry appeared in the room and tried to get in between us. He grabbed each of us and pushed us out the back door so we were in the yard.

"Have you two lost your minds?" He shouted

"Chester shoved me into a goddamned wall!" Mason argued.

"My. Name. Is. Not. Chester." I said through my teeth.

"So you _aren't _a thirty year old man sleeping with a teenage girl barely old enough to drive?"

"That doesn't really concern you."

"Anything that has to do with Claire concerns me," He retorted. I tried to hit him, but Embry blocked my hit. My entire body was shaking.

"I don't really care why you're here, Mason, as long as you understand one thing. Claire _is _mine, and you will get nowhere near her."

"We'll see about that. How are you going to keep me away from Claire when _you _aren't even allowed near her?"

"_Mine._"

"You think that I don't understand love, but I get it just fine. Jacob and Renesmee are perfect for each other, they're both crazy. Sam and Emily are both wise and loving. Annie and Seth balance each other out in every way. But you and Claire are simply… wrong. She's brilliant and beautiful and forgiving and friendly and witty and wonderful and perfect in every way. But you're a stupid little coward who will never deserve her."

I knocked Embry out of the way before turning wolf right there in the yard. Mason reacted immediately, exploding into a giant mass of fur as well. I lunged on him.

_You're so jealous because I have Claire and she loves me. It bothers you to no end. _I growled, digging my claws into his face. He gave a low howl of pain and knocked me off of him.

"Oh fuck this," Embry mumbled to himself, slipping his shorts off and joining us.

_Don't you ever feel guilty for taking away her free will? What terrible thing did Claire ever do to deserve you? What heinous crime did she commit to get this sentence? I would have taken the electric chair over forever with you. _

_Then do it. It's not like anyone would miss you._

_Quil,_ Embry warned, stepping between us.

I couldn't stop myself from playing images of Claire kissing me in my head. Claire and me on the bed the night before she moved, against the door of my truck, earlier when she woke me up.

_That's it,_ Mason snapped, slipping around Embry and managing to pin me down. He was lighter than me, and I easily kicked him off with my hind legs. The mass of burnt orange fur went crashing towards the trees. He landed on his already injured back.

_Fuck! Fuck! Damn it! _He cursed as his body made impact.

_Quil, you're acting like Paul. Calm down. _Embry ordered. Mason was back on his feet before the words could finish coming out of Embry's mouth, and our fighting continued.

_Damn it, _Embry growled, jumping into the fight and trying to force us apart. It worked.

Mason was the first to phase back, with me following and Embry last.

After making sure we weren't going to kill each other, Embry disappeared into the house to grab us some shorts. Mason and I sat, partially hidden by the trees of the forest, glaring at each other.

Although I would never admit it to him, I was seriously hurting. I'm pretty sure I had a black eye from when he punched me, a few bruised ribs, and teeth marks on my leg that were gushing blood. Mason looked just as bad.

"You started it," He stated.

"You deserved it."

"You shoved me into the wall."

"You punched me in the face."

"I do recall you punching me in the face first. Several times. On the beach," Mason recalled.

"You deserved it."

"You molest teenage girls and abuse teenage boys. Really classy."

"Don't be bitter because I've slept with her and you know you never will."

"Sounds like a real nice conversation you two have going," Embry speculated, making his way towards us, shorts in hand.

"Sure," Mason shrugged, taking a pair of shorts and pulling them on. They were a little big for his leaner frame, but it would do for now. Embry handed me my pair and I silently put them on.

"I just got off the phone with Jake. We're going over there… pack meeting."

I nodded.

"You two have fun," Mason waved.

"_Pack _meeting. As in, _you have to come, too_."

"No thank you."

"This isn't optional, _kid_. Lets go."

"I'm not going back in Chester's head!" Mason protested.

"Then we'll take Quil's truck," Embry offered.

"You can sit on the roof," I mumbled.

"Sounds like a party," He rolled his eyes, heading towards the front of the house.

"Okay, look," Embry mumbled under his breath. "I'm not going to tell you to be nice, but try not to kill the boy."

"We'll see," I replied, following after Mason.

_Mason_

The last thing I wanted to do was go see the entire pack. There were only three, sometimes four people I could stand. Danny, Jamie, Grayson, and Seth (It was kind of hard to dislike Seth. He was too kind-hearted).

Being somewhere you knew you weren't wanted was something I was used to, but not something I liked. I know Gran wanted me to take responsibility for my life, but I was really starting to feel stupid for listening. What had happened so far?

I got shoved into a wall and broke my back. I had acted like it was nothing, but my back hurt like a bitch. And now I was sitting in the back seat of my least favorite person's truck on my way to lovebird city in the middle of vampire land.

Jake may have been a cool guy, but he was fucking crazy. Who in their right mind would hang out with bloodsuckers all day? Yes, Renesmee was fucking fine as hell, but she was a vampire, and possibly mentally unstable. And Jacob obsessed over her. I wasn't sure if they were normally sane and crazy when they were apart or normally crazy but they were sane whenever they were together.

Then I realized that Jacob was probably going to gut me like a fish the next time he was in my head.

_Fucking telepathy. _

We pulled up at Vampire HQ a few minutes later.

"Wait, I thought we were going to Jacob's house?"

"Yeah, we are. The road ends here," Quil rolled his eyes.

"So we have to run?" I complained.

"Jesus, you're whiny."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm a little irritable after being smashed into a wall!"

"Jacob will be waiting for you guys," A smooth voice announced from the stairs leading up to the Cullen's front door. I turned to it, even though I remembered the voice.

"Hey Annie," Embry greeted. The vampire was standing on the wooden railing at the top of the stairs, looking perfectly at ease despite her height. Without hesitation, she stepped out into the open air and dropped effortlessly to the ground, landing on her feet.

She turned her eyes to me, studying me carefully but not asking any questions. _She's probably reading me…_ I realized, feeling suddenly violated.

"Seth is on his way over there now," She informed us.

"You decided to stay behind?" Quil asked, sounding only partially interested.

"'Pack meeting' as in, no vampires aloud. I'm just waiting for Nessie. We're going hunting."

"Tasty," I remarked drily.

She hissed at me without any real malice. "Try not to get eaten, Clark."

I grimaced briefly. I hadn't used my father's last name since he died.

"Clark?" Embry raised an eyebrow.

"It's my last name," I mumbled. "My dad's." Not like it was any of their business…

"You prefer not to use it. Haven't in a long time, have you?"

"Lucky for you that you have that little talent. You'll know if Seth is ever lying or cheating on you," I said, just an edge of nastiness in my voice.

"He wouldn't," She replied quickly. I shrugged.

"Let's go. We don't want to be late."

"I think you already are," Annie stated, her eyes boring into me.

We turned and started to run, Embry in the lead. "I think I've pissed her off," I commented.

"You piss everyone off," Quil replied.

"Good," I smirked.

Embry made a disgusted sound. "You're unbelievable," he muttered.

"I'm one of a kind. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say I'm unbelievable."

"What is it like… being disliked by so many people?" Embry mused.

"What is it like… lusting after a fourteen year old girl?" Just like I expected, Embry did not respond. None of us spoke for the remainder of the run.

_Embry_

Lilly was… a touchy subject.

Certainly not one I wanted to discuss with Dick-Mason.

Not a topic I wanted to discuss with _anyone._

I wasn't even "lusting after her" or whatever the hell. Just because I loved her doesn't mean I wanted her, uh, _that _way.

Lilly was so sweet, and positive, and beautiful, and delicate, and innocent.

Why was it so hard to believe that I wanted to pull Lilly into my arms and kiss her until the world stopped turning, but I didn't want to get in her pants? This was all just so fucked up.

A minute later, Jacob and Nessie's house appeared through the trees. It was a beautiful home, two stories tall with wrap-around porches on each level. The house was an off-white color, and even though the house wasn't even ten years old, it had the look of an old plantation home.

"We're inside," Jake called from what sounded like the living room.

The last time I had been here was the day of the fight. When that fucking leech had threatened Lilly's life. Put his goddamned hands on her. The memory made me flinch.

_No vampire will ever hurt my Lilly again. _

Or at least, that's what I kept telling myself.

_Quil_

So apparently Embry mentioned Mason to Jacob… because he was the only one who didn't look surprise as hell when he walked in the door.

"What is _he _doing here?" Brady growled, glaring at Mason.

"That is exactly what I keep asking myself," I muttered.

"Really feeling the love right now," Mason smiled.

"In a moment you'll be feeling my fist," I growled.

"Was that a threat, Chester?" He smirked.

"No, it was a warning," I corrected, drawing back my fist and then letting it snap forward, hitting him square in the jaw. Mason shoved me back, hard.

"Both of you, stop it," Jacob ordered.

"Both of you?" Mason hissed. "I was just standing here! Quil is crazy."

"And you're a dick," I muttered with a shrug.

"They've been hitting each other since Mason got back," Embry shared.

Collin looked me up and down a few times. "If Claire sees you with that black eye she'll flip."

"I'm confused," Mia announced. "If this is a pack meeting, then why is runaway pup here? Didn't he well… run away?"

"I just keep coming back, like a boomerang," Mason told her, going over to where she was sitting on the couch and plopping down between her and Brady.

"More like herpes," Brady muttered. Jacob shot him a hard look while I discretely slipped him a thumbs up.

"Mason is the reason I called the meeting," Jacob shared. Everyone spoke up at once.

"So you knew he was here?"

"I got off of my couch and ran my butt over here for _him?_"

"If you knew he was going to be here why didn't you tell us?"

"Is he still in the pack?"

"Is he here to stay?"

"Would you be angry if I slept with Nessie?" Nolan tried. Everyone turned to him a moment, rolled their eyes, and continued with the matter at hand.

"Embry called me earlier. Embry and Quil knew he was here first. I don't have the full story, I guess Mason can fill you in on that. He was never _out _of the pack… sometimes people run away... I did. Oh, and Nolan, your obsession with _my _wife is going to result in _your_ funeral."

Austin snickered and gave Nolan a pat on the back, muttering a small "Nice try, bro."

Some of the others turned and looked at Mason expectantly.

"What?" He asked impatiently.

"We're waiting for a story," Grayson clarified.

A look of distaste briefly danced across Mason's face. "Well, once upon a time there was hippopotamus named George—"

"As interesting as that story sounds, I meant the story of how you showed up at Quil and Embry's house," Grayson explained patiently. I don't know how he could speak to Mason civilly. Any time Mason spoke I just felt the urge to hit him.

"Ugh, that story is hardly as exciting. Let's see… I was in California, then I came back here. I was at the cemetery… Claire was at the cemetery… it was a lot like last time, waterworks and everything. When she got over her intense surprise at seeing me she asked if I had anywhere to stay. I told her I didn't and she got this crazy idea in her head that I could stay with Chester over here," he nodded his head in my direction, "and used her powers of seduction to get him to say that I could stay there, which I am _not _doing by the way. I'd rather sleep on the street. Chester would probably poison my food with the help of his little sidekick over here," He motioned a hand towards Embry.

"Hey, since when am I a sidekick?" Embry demanded angrily. "I am not a sidekick!"

No one spoke. I glanced over at Jacob, who seemed to be thinking quite hard about something.

"So why did Claire want you three to live together exactly? Why didn't she bring him to Danny and Mia or Seth or even Emily and Sam?"

"She has this unrealistic idea that if she stuck us together we would 'get along' which is impossible," I replied.

Jake nodded.

"I guess Mason can stay with me and Seth… if he really wants to," Leah offered without any warmth or enthusiasm.

"Yes!" Embry shouted.

"Actually… I kind of like Claire's idea," Jacob decided.

"Excuse me?" I choked.

"Mason still has a lot to learn about being a wolf. Pack harmony is essential, and you guys are fucking it up. He lives with you… you train him… it sounds like a good idea to me."

"No," Mason protested. "It sounds like a bad idea. A very bad idea."

"You guys need to learn to get along," Jacob said.

"We're already the best of friends, aren't we Chester?" Mason explained, stepping close to me and smiling. I sneered at him involuntarily.

"I really feel the love," Jamie snickered.

"Come on, Jake. I'm your best friend! What did I do to deserve this? I'm just the sidekick!" Embry whined.

"That's not what you said a minute ago," Leah reminded him with a smirk.

"Shut the hell up," He growled at her.

"It'll be good for you guys," Jacob promised.

"I'm not living with Chester the Molester and his predator of a best friend!"

**"Yes you are," **Jacob said, unleashing the alpha voice on us. We had no power to resist him after that.

_Damn fuck shit mother fucking damn! Fucking hell! God damn it! Fuck! _I cursed silently. I couldn't disobey, but I could curse him out in my head for hours. Jacob was my best friend, he was supposed to side with me! If Nahuel showed up Jacob would murder him. No one would expect Jake to open his home to him! It was so fucking unfair.

"This blows," Mason mumbled under his breath.

"Don't worry," Mia smiled, "Things could always get worse. And they probably will."

"That's reassuring."

"I don't bullshit," She shrugged.

"We deserve a reality show," Collin decided. "There's the two guys fighting over the girl. The guy in love with a girl who won't even look at him. The guy in love with the girl sitting awkwardly across the circle from him. The guy who—"

"We get it," Embry interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"I don't think the show would work," Jamie smirked. "It would kind of give away the who werewolf secret, don't you think?"

"Can everyone get back on task, please?" Jacob requested. "We have a few more things I need to talk to you guys about."

"Wait, I thought this meeting was on behalf of me," Mason's voice was full of mock-hurt.

"Well, it is. Partially. You see, now that there are fourteen in the pack, that means each of us only needs to run one day shift and one night shift a week. That leaves a lot of time to sit around and do nothing. Leah is the only one here with a job, and the only money we get is donated from the tribe and the Cullen family. What I am suggesting is that you guys consider doing something with your lives. Get a job, go to college, something productive."

We all stared at him blankly.

"So wait," I finally said, breaking the silence, "I'm supposed to get barely any time with Claire, live with and train Dickhead, _and _I need to get _a job?_"

"At least if you have a job you won't spend all year on the couch waiting for Claire to get home from school," Seth shrugged.

"Don't jobs require getting up early?" Danny whined.

"Would being a bartender at a strip club be an acceptable job?" Collin wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"That's sick," Grayson rolled his eyes.

"I think it's a good idea," Nolan decided.

"You're gross!"

"Not the strip club!" Nolan snapped, "The job thing. I wanted Jamie to go back to school anyways."

"Wait a minute! I have to go to school?" Jamie jumped up.

"You can't _not _go to school. Mom would flip."

"But I stay with Dad during the week anyways."

"Yeah, but Mom would know if you weren't going to school, stupid."

"Are _you _planning on getting a job, Jake?" Brady asked, interrupting the arguing brothers.

He shook his head. "Nessie already said I'd be dead if I tried."

"But we're werewolves," Austin complained, "This _is _our job."

"I've been working with Emily for five years and beta-ing the pack, lazy ass," Leah reminded.

"Yeah, maybe that's why you're always in such a pissy mood," Embry smirked. Grayson glared at him.

"Can I leave now?" Mason groaned.

"Yeah," Jake said. "That's all. I'm not going to force you guys to work, but well… for anyone planning to get married and start a family in the near future," he glanced at me, "It's something to consider."

He had a point. How was I supposed to support Claire if I didn't even support myself?

"Oh, are we still on for a bonfire Saturday?" Embry asked. "Lilly wanted to know."

"Hell yeah we are! It's the last Saturday of summer!" Collin hollered.

"Collin, in your world it's _always _summer," Grayson chuckled.

"Well I'm gonna get going," Mia proclaimed, "Quil, try not to do anything _unusually_ stupid, kay?"

"No promises," I shrugged.

"Of course not. Telling a guy to refrain from stupidity is like telling a guy to not have sex." She huffed and walked off.

"I guess I'm gonna go, too," Danny decided. "Hey," He turned quickly to Mason. "We should hang out sometime."

"Sure," Mason nodded. Danny smiled and left.

Me, Embry, and Dickface were the next to leave. But this time, I decided to run home. Anything was better than dealing with Mason. I phased and started to race off towards the reservation.

_I'm so glad I'm not you, _Danny shared.

_Oh really? Cause it sounds to me like you'd love to be in my shoes… you know, since you and Mason are such good friends, _my tone was harsh, but I didn't care.

_Look, I know you don't like him, Quil. But… well… someone has to. Everyone deserves a friend. _

I decided to ignore him. All Mason deserved was a couple of good kicks to the ass.

_I'm glad I'm not you because every time you try to kiss your girlfriend her father aims a gun at you._ Danny clarified.

_I'm so glad I wasn't born a guy, _Mia thought, more to herself than to us.

_Why? Guys have it great, _Collin boasted entering the thought train. _I can fuck all the girls I want without getting pregnant, I don't get a period, I don't have mood swings. _

_ Uh, news flash, Collin. I don't do any of those things either, _Mia hissed.

_Want to come over go my place and test that theory out? _Collin teased.

_I'll pass, _she rolled her eyes.

_You know what's wrong with you guys? You all want to find love and live happily whatever after. Love is a waste of time… look at Mason. He's not very happy. Or Brady. He's crazy about someone who is legitimately crazy. Sounds like hell to me. _Collin mused.

_Nice to know you all talk about me when I'm not around, _Brady shared with a bitter sarcasm.

_I wasn't talking _about_ you. I was speaking _of _you, bro. Huuuuge difference, _Collin defended.

_Whatever, _Brady muttered.

I reached the house and returned to human form, giving the two best friends a little privacy.

_Mason_

Nothing is more uncomfortable than a thirty minute drive alone with your worst enemy's best friend.

"So…" He began awkwardly after about eight minutes of driving.

"Are you really going to try and start up a conversation?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I guess not," He shrugged.

That was the only time words were exchanged. Quil beat us home by a long shot, and was standing by the couch when we walked in. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were steady and hard. I was suddenly reminded of when my mother would scold me for doing something bad (which happened regularly).

"Okay, so here's the rules. You sleep on _this _couch. When Claire is over you get lost. If you annoy me accept the fact that you will probably be shoved through the wall again. Be out of the house as much as possible. During training you will do everything I say."

"Yes sir," I rolled my eyes.

"I would like to also add that you aren't allowed to mention Lilly, at all. Don't talk to her. Don't look at her. Just leave her alone," If anything, Embry's voice was even more firm.

"And don't eat my Pringles," Quil added.

"Or my Cocoa Puffs."

"Don't make a mess."

"No using my truck."

"Or mine."

"Don't be a pest."

"And stay away from my girlfriend," Quil finished.

_Ah, there's no place like home… _

_ Except hell maybe… _


	32. Better With Popcorn

**Author's Note: So this chapter wasn't meant to be an actual chapter. This one and the next one were originally one long chapter. But the chapter turned out to be about 23 pages, so I broke it up. This chapter is really short, but important. I will post the actual chapter that I meant to post (The bonfire chapter) tomorrow. So sorry this one is a shorty, but I promise the next one will make up for it. Remember to check back tomorrow!**

_Claire _

I was ecstatic when Friday afternoon finally rolled around.

"Quil!" I practically screeched, throwing the door open before he even had a chance to knock and hugging him tightly.

"Hey baby," He said softly, lifting me slightly off the ground. There was an awkward cough from behind us and Quil quickly placed me back on my feet.

"Hello Anthony," He greeted cordially, making an effort to smile. _He's such a sweetheart, _I thought to myself. _How can Dad not love him? _

"Quil," my father acknowledged, his eyes studying my boyfriend critically.

"Dad, could we have some privacy?" I asked.

"No," He replied flatly.

"To talk?" I added, "Please."

"Why would you need to talk in private?" He inclined.

"Because you're nosey and what we talk about is none of your business," I spat out without thinking. Quil's eyes widened as he looked at me with what was either shock or admiration… maybe both.

Dad looked even more surprised. "Excuse me?"

Quil opened his mouth to speak, "What Claire meant was—"

"What I mean is that it is _just _talking, Dad. What's the so bad about that? Talking is _harmless_. I talk to grown men all the time. Do you aim guns at them? No. Of course not," I interrupted, grabbing Quil by the neck of his t-shirt and leading him out the door. "We'll stay in the yard," I told him, slamming the door shut behind us.

"I really love you," Quil announced with a chuckle as we sat down on the grass.

"So you aren't mad at me?" I asked, biting my lip. After I got home yesterday I had spent a lot of time thinking about my decision. I started to freak out, thinking that Quil would resent me for putting him in this situation. I wasn't trying to be cruel, I was trying to make peace. But if I had to choose between peace in the pack and Quil's love I would of course choose Quil. If Quil hated me for what I did I swore I would never forgive myself.

Now Quil didn't chuckle; he flat-out laughed. "_Mad? _At you? How many times do I need to tell you this, Claire? My love for you is unconditional and eternal. If you want to get rid of me you'll have to try a lot harder."

I smiled widely and forced myself to stay where I was, because jumping into Quil's arms and attacking his face with kisses would cause my father to come running out with his gun again, and I didn't want to relive _that _anytime soon. I _did_, however give him a hug, peeking at the house to see if my father was watching us through a window. I caught his glare just after releasing Quil from my arms.

"Why did you think I'd be mad at you, you silly girl?"

"Silly is a silly word," I reminded him. He smiled.

I swallowed—all joking aside—and continued, "I mean… I forced you into doing something you don't want to do."

"You didn't force me, Claire. Now Jake… _Jake _forced me."

I shot him a puzzled look. _What does Jacob have to do with anything? _

Quil knew exactly what I was asking without me needing to verbally say it. "Well, I guess I need to explain what happened after you left yesterday… You see, Mason was doing what he does and being a dick. So then he got really mad about the whole 'me shoving him through a wall' thing and decided to hit me so—"

"Excuse me?" I choked.

"Umm, forget I said that little part. The point is we all had to go to a pack meeting at Jake's and after hearing about your little idea to make peace he decided to alpha-order us. I have to train him and let him sleep on the couch and everything," Quil grimaced briefly.

"He _hit _you?" I clarified, my voice coming out higher than usual.

"I did kind of shove him through the kitchen wall…"

"You two couldn't even _try _to make nice?"

"He was being an ass!" Quil growled.

"I can't believe he hit you," I exclaimed.

"I can."

"Are you okay?" I asked, examining his perfect body for any signs of damage. _This is all my fault, _I thought miserably.

"Jeez, Claire. I'm a big boy. I'm a werewolf. Of course I'm fine," Quil told me, gently grabbing my face and looking into my eyes as he spoke. I let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding and he released me.

"You wanted this Claire, so now you have to deal. I hit him, he hit me. It's going to happen again, I guarantee it." The thought of him getting into another fight enraged me, and he seemed to see it on my face. "Of course, I'll try not to… for you," He added with a smile. I cooled down a little.

"I didn't want you to live together so you two could fight until there was only one wolf standing. Seriously make an effort to get along. I'll talk to him, okay?"

"No," Quil said quickly and firmly. "I don't want you to get anywhere near him. I don't trust him at all, especially not with you."

"Is that an order?" I asked in an acidic voice. I loved Quil, I really did. But one man in my life ordering me around was enough.

Quil flinched. "Claire, I'm only trying to—"

"I made popcorn!" Eliza announced, swinging the front door open.

_Great fucking timing, Liza._

The little blonde demon made her way toward us, a large bowl of popcorn in situated under her arm.

"What do you want?" I asked, almost hesitantly. When asking Eliza, that question never had a good answer.

She rolled her eyes. "Uh, isn't it obvious? I'm offering you popcorn."

"Why?"

"God! Why must I always have an ulterior motive?"

"Go away," I told her. "I don't want any popcorn."

"Well maybe _I _wanted some popcorn, Claire," Quil countered. "Not that you would care or anything."

"What is _that _supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

"I knew it! I knew you were mad at me!"

"I'm not mad at you!" Quil shouted.

"I'm just gonna go inside," Eliza announced, backing away slowly.

"Claire, listen to me," Quil begged, grabbing on to my arms with a gentle strength. "I love you so much. You are my life. You know I'd do anything for you. Please do this one thing for me. Stay. Away. From. Mason."

"What's going on out here?" A very suspicious and angry sounding Dad asked from behind. Quil released me from his grip immediately and turned to look at my father; I did the same.

"Nothing," Quil answered.

"I don't like the way your hands were on my daughter, wolf."

"I'm fine, Dad," I told him in a soft voice. He ignored me, as usual.

"I think it's time you leave, Quil."

"Sir, I've been here for like ten minutes!" Quil protested.

"Don't come over tomorrow, either."

"Dad!" I groaned. "Butt out of my business."

"Go inside, now," He ordered through his teeth. I didn't listen, instead throwing my arms around Quil and clinging to him. Dad's nostrils flared and he stomped over to where Quil and I were standing. He ripped one of my arms off of Quil, tugging me hard in the direction of the house.

He was flat on his back in a second. My head whipped to Quil in surprise. He was shaking all over.

"Calm down," I breathed.

"Keep your hands off of her," Quil growled. "If you ever grab her like that again you'll have more to worry about then a bloody nose."

My father touched a hand to his nose, which was bleeding thanks to Quil. "If anything is broken I'll be calling the cops on you."

"I'm just going to take him inside," I announced under my breath, risking a quick kiss on Quil's shaking chest.

Quil shook his head, "The last bonfire of summer is tomorrow. Try and come."

I nodded, eyes wide. I was still in shock from what had occurred in the last thirty seconds. Without another word to Quil, I helped my father up and forced him towards the house while he screamed at Quil about how he would never see me again and Quil was banned from the house forever.

_God, please don't let him mean that,_ I prayed, sneaking one last peek at Quil, who was still frozen on the lawn, trying to stop the tremors from rocking through his body.

"Well, glad I had the foresight to make popcorn," Eliza, who was leaning against the doorframe, commented. "That was all very exciting," She placed a piece of popcorn in her mouth. "Drama is so much better with popcorn."

"He isn't stepping foot in my house ever again, Claire."

I ignored both of them, storming up the stairs and locking myself in my room.

_Mason_

Living with Quil was a nightmare. It hadn't taken long for me to figure out there was only one thing Quil talked about: Claire. Don't get me wrong, I could talk about Claire and her amazingness all day long, but hearing Quil talk about her just bugged me.

Who did he think he was telling me to stay away from Claire?

Yeah, I get that he's her… _boyfriend _but she isn't his possession! He doesn't own her or control her life. Claire is her own person for crying out loud! And Quil could definitely not tell _me _what to do. I didn't take orders from a possessive little pedophile bitch.

But at the same time, I couldn't disobey him. Jacob wouldn't be happy, and Claire wouldn't either. How was I supposed to get to Claire without being killed my her psychotic boyfriend? He had already shoved me through a wall… _A WALL!_

My back _still_ hurt from that.

No, I couldn't keep openly angering Quil. Although it was fun, it wasn't getting me anywhere. If I wanted to get closer to Claire I would have to try a new tactic. A sneakier one.

My scheming was interrupted by the swinging open of the front door. In stomped a very furious looking Quil. Fists tight, eyebrows furrowed, jaw clenched.

_Feeling constipated, Chester? _I wanted to ask. But instead I swallowed the remark and tried something else.

"Well, you're home early. I thought 'Claire time' went till like six."

"Fuck off," He mumbled, slamming the door behind him and stomping into the kitchen. I didn't say anything, although keeping my mouth shut nearly killed me. I bit my tongue.

_Don't make a sarcastic comment. Don't piss him off. Don't egg him on. Don't do it. Don't do it. _

It was when I tasted blood in my mouth that I released my tongue from between my teeth.

I couldn't stand to be in the house and not mess with Quil. "I'm going for a walk," I mumbled.

"Yes, please get out!" He yelled from the kitchen.

What Quil didn't realize was that I was doing more than just going for a walk. I had something I needed to do. It wasn't something I ever wanted to do again… but I would do it to get close to Claire. I would do _anything _to get close to Claire. I loved her.

Sometimes love makes us do things we really don't want to do.

Things we would rather die than do.

But we do them anyway.

_Quil_

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FUUUUCK!

I had completely ruined everything with Claire.

I'd been no better than her father. Ordering her to do things, yelling at her, putting my hands on her… I punched her father in the face! I was the worst fucking boyfriend in the history of boyfriends.

_If only she could understand how much I love her. How much I want to protect her. I wish she would just let me take her away. Away from Mason. Away from her father. Away from anyone who would try to get in between us. _

But that was selfish of me to think. Claire has a life. She has Sam and Emily and Eliza and Amelia. She is still in high school for crying out loud.

Maybe I should have taken things slower. Maybe I should have waited to tell her about imprinting. Or waited to sleep with her. Maybe then I wouldn't be in this fucked up situation.

I couldn't be away from Claire. I just couldn't. I tried calling her for the eleventh time in the eight minutes I'd been home. No answer. Either her phone was taken up or Claire really didn't want to talk to me.

_"Hey, this is Claire. I can't get to the phone right now but leave me a message and I'll call you back," _Hearing her voice on the answering machine felt like a stab to the chest.

The beep sounded and I began another pathetic voicemail. "Hey baby, it's me. Look, I don't know if you have your phone or not, but if you do please call me. I'm sorry for everything and I love you so much, Claire. I can't live without you. I just need to hear your voice, okay? Bye."

I needed to get a hold of her. Somehow. I needed to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness. I needed Claire to love me. I just needed it.


	33. The Good, The Bad, and The Sexy

**Author's Note: I make good on my promises. Updating for the second day in a row. I promise the action is going to pick up soon, so hope you guys are all hanging in there. You won't be disappointed! Make sure you read yesterday's update Better With Popcorn before reading this chapter. **

_Lilly_

"Did you just throw a marshmallow at me?" Leah snarled, whipping her head towards Embry, who was sitting beside me.

Embry peeked at Brady, who was sitting on the other side of him, and the two burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Leah was turning as red as the embers in the fire pit. Faster than they could react, the two boys were pelted by a dozen marshmallows, one of them hitting Embry square in the forehead. Then it was Leah's turn to laugh, and Grayson, who was sitting beside her—which he tended to do as of late—chuckled with her.

"It's war now!" Embry announced, launching a handful of fluffy white marshmallows in their direction.

"If a single marshmallow hits me, you are all going to pay," I warned as marshmallows flew through the air. The velocity they were flying at was quite remarkable actually, and despite the breeze, every marshmallow hit its desired target.

_Typical pack gathering… _

"Save _some _marshmallows for eating, children," Jared smirked.

"Children?" Leah screeched. "I am thirty-four years old!"

"You're twenty," Nolan corrected.

"Yeah, but I've been twenty for fourteen years!"

"If you're _really_ thirty-four does that mean Quil is _really _a thirty year old pedophile?" Paul mused. Mason chuckled softly, the first sound to come out of him since we all arrived. Granted, we hadn't been here more than an hour and the sky was just beginning to darken... there was still plenty of time for him to annoy us all. And Claire and Liza weren't even here yet.

"How did this become about me?" Quil grumbled.

"Paul just likes giving you a hard time, Quil," Jared smiled.

"He can be kind of annoying about it," Rachel shared with a giggle.

"Hey," Paul turned to her with a frown.

"Oh, don't be such a grumpy-pants," She teased, kissing him sweetly on his pouty face.

All of this couple stuff was too much for me to handle. Ever since I'd gotten here I'd been in the middle of a love-fest. Seth and Annie were being adorable as always, Jake and Nessie were in their own little world, Sam and Emily were looking at each other with those "I love you" eyes.

And _I _was sitting next to my best friend who I may or may not have been in love with, miserable as could be.

_Fuuuuuun._

I'm not a bitter person, I'm really not. But being surrounded by so much love and knowing you didn't have anything like that was enough to make any girl sour.

I didn't need some crazy fiery intense love… I just wanted Embry. I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything in my entire life. I wanted his arms wrapped around me and his lips steady on mine.

It was ridiculous how much I thought about him. How many nights I lost sleep over him. How every night when I _did_ fall asleep he was the center of my dreams. But I couldn't really be in love with him, could I? That would be crazy.

I loved Eliza dearly, and there was plenty of room for her in my heart, but my relationship with Embry was just… different. Incomparable. I didn't have two best friends—Eliza was my best friend. Embry was… well, Embry was Embry. He was the realest, clearest thing to ever come into my life. As far as I was concerned, I had no life before Embry. I didn't really exist until I met him. Whatever came B.E. (before Embry) was just a fuzzy, insignificant memory.

But Embry showed zero signs that he could be feeling anything close to what I was. He was still, for the most part, the same Embry I'd always known. He didn't view me romantically, how could he? We had been friends since I was nine. It was my fault that I was in this situation.

_Stupid Lilly, why do you have to feel this way about him? _That little nagging voice in my head had been asking that question a lot lately. There were billions of men in the world, so why—out of _everyone_—did I have to feel this way about _him_?

The most crushing part was knowing that he would never feel the same. One-sided emotions were something Brady and I had in common. Not like I could share that with Brady. I couldn't tell anyone more than the one person who already knew. Claire. It's not that I didn't trust Eliza, but she just wouldn't understand.

The marshmallow war had ended, transitioning in to a thrilling game of chubby bunny (note my sarcasm). Nothing is funnier than a pack of wolves shoving obscene amounts of marshmallow into their mouths and attempting to say the words "chubby bunny."

"You are all disgusting. I'm highly repulsed," Mason scrunched his nose.

"Funny, I say the same thing about you," Quil murmured from his seat not far from mine.

Mason opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again.

_Strange… _I thought.

"Hubby hunee!" Austin shouted after shoving about eleven marshmallows in his mouth (Do NOT ask me how they all fit).

But then Jake started feeding Nessie marshmallows, and things were back to being too sickening to stand. This time, I stood up and started to leave the circle, mumbling something about needing to stretch my legs.

My stomach dropped when I heard footsteps following behind me. I already knew who it was without turning around. Still turning around to "check" would give me a chance to look at him without being a stalker.

Dawn, daylight, dusk, darkness; he looked hot in any lighting. Me and Eliza used to talk about this when we were younger. She used to say that Jacob was the best looking, but I would never budge. Embry was the most gorgeous guy I'd ever seen. I know that's weird—calling a guy gorgeous—but it's true. I _literally _could get lost in his eyes. I know it was lame and girly and a total cliché, but I could.

I stopped my walking, allowing him to catch up to me, which he did in silence. As was usual, he took my small hand in his much larger one and we continued walking hand in hand. We had done this since I was nine, but lately it had felt like so much more than two friends holding hands. Yes, his hand was always warm, but now his touches left fire on my skin. Electricity coursed through my veins instead of blood. I shuddered slightly and then quickly prayed he didn't notice.

He did.

"You cold?" He asked in a concerned voice. "You want to go back to the fire?"

"I'm fine," I responded quietly, looking straightforward rather than at him. We were decently far away from the group now, the sounds of their laughter distant and low.

"You sure? You seem… off."

"Off?" I quirked an eyebrow, even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"You were so quiet back there…"

"I'm a quiet girl," I shrugged.

"Not towards me though. Are you… mad at me? Did I do something? You got to cut me some slack, Lil. Us guys aren't awfully bright."

I smiled. "I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at all. I guess I was just caught up inside my head. You know I get like that sometimes."

Embry let out a deep breath, looking relieved. "So what were you thinking about?" He asked, a lot more lighthearted than before.

_You…_

"School," I lied.

"Freshman year! You must be excited, my big grown-up high schooler," Embry teased.

"I'm about as excited to go back to school as Liza is to talk about Brady."

Embry howled with laughter, "You're terrible! Eliza would end your life if she heard you talking about her like that!"

"No she wouldn't. Me and Eliza are closer than sisters," I said with confidence.

"Weren't you two screaming at each other on Sunday?" Embry asked.

"That's what sisters do. Or at least, that's what Eliza and Claire do. I wouldn't really know personally…" I was an only child of divorced parents. My mother had since re-married, but Keith had no children at all. My aunt hadn't had children either. I was literally the only young person in my family. Eliza, Claire, and Amelia were the closest I'd ever come to having sisters,

"Well I have five sisters and eleven brothers… I'd be happy to share. Take all of them if you want," Embry offered.

"_Five_ sisters?" I inquired.

"Mia, Leah, Nessie, Annie, and Claire," He clarified.

"What? You and Liza aren't exactly siblings?" I joked.

"I wouldn't even classify me and that girl as third cousins."

"And what about me?" I blurted out before my brain had time to think about what I was saying.

Embry swallowed. "W-what about you?"

"What am I?" I asked quietly, "To you?"

My stomach twisted in knots. _I can't believe I actually asked him that! REWIND! REWIND! …Too late. _

He mumbled something under his breath. It was so quiet I know he couldn't have intended for me to hear it. I wasn't even sure if I'd heard him correctly or not. Surely my ears were hearing what they wanted to hear.

"You're Lilly, my best friend in the entire world," He finally answered, at a speaking volume this time.

But I couldn't let that first response go. That breathy whisper of a word.

_"Perfect." _

_Eliza _

Claire and I had been at the beach all of twelve seconds before Quil pulled her away to "talk." Embry and Lilly were way down the beach. Sam and Emily had to quickly run and pick up Amelia from Miss Lisa's house.

So basically, I was left at the mercy of the pack. Talk about being thrown to the lions… or rather, wolves.

"Eliza, if I try to come visit you, will your dad aim a gun at me?" Nolan asked.

"Only if he catches you making out with me, which is highly unlikely." I replied.

"So basically we're all safe to visit you… except Brady. Brady would get shot," Danny laughed.

That was a conversation topic I did _not _want to elaborate on.

"The only person Brady should be worried about shooting him is me," I noted, making a point to aim my words directly at Brady, even though I was speaking to Danny.

"Sounds dangerous," Mason commented in a voice that expressed little interest. "Brady should consider going into hiding."

"I don't know… Brady and Collin would _both_ be hunted down by your father if he knew about the late night visits to your room," Annie shared, completely ignoring Mason like most of the others were doing.

"Brady _and _Collin?" Jared raised an eyebrow.

"Damn Eliza, I didn't realize you were such a naughty girl!" Paul howled with laughter.

"Me either," Brady mumbled, "Can I talk to you, Collin? Privately?" I was surprised at the tone of his voice… fiercely calm.

"Sure," Collin shrugged. He threw a meaningful look my way before getting up and following Brady into the small strip of trees between the beach and town.

"I hope I didn't start anything," Annie commented.

"I hope you did," Paul practically snorted.

"I'm sorry for my husband's childish behavior," Rachel apologized.

"You seem awfully quiet, Eliza," Seth noticed.

He was right. I honestly just wasn't sure what _to_ say.

Who was I angry at? Annie for bringing it up? Collin for sneaking into my room in the first place? Brady for acting like it was any of his business?

And what was Collin going to tell Brady? That the only reason he talked to me was to lecture me about him? No, Collin wouldn't say that.

What _would _he say?

"I'm going to go find Claire," I lied. Annie turned to me and winked, but decided not to say anything.

_She knows, _I thought. _She always knows._

The sky was dark, but in the trees it was even darker. I could barely see anything. But I could hear… and it didn't take long for my ears to pick up on their voices. More quiet than I had ever moved in my life, I crept over to the voices and ducked behind a tree.

"You're such an ass hole!" I had never heard anyone yell quietly, but that was exactly what Brady did.

"Bro, it's totally not how it sounds!"

"Really? Because it sounds like you're sneaking around with Eliza and not telling me about it."

"Definitely not," Collin made a gagging sound and I fought the urge to expose my self and smack him. I was _not_ that bad! "I can't believe you would even think that! One, I'm your best friend and two, that girl is insane."

"Don't talk about her that way," Brady growled.

"It's true. I went and _talked _to her one night last week. Just talking. She's a horrible person, she treats you like shit, and she clearly thinks I'm stupid and can't tell that she is hiding behind that tree over there." _Shit._

A millisecond later Brady and Collin were both right in front of me. I almost jumped out of my skin in surprise.

"God damn! Don't scare me like that!" I scolded them, placing my hand on my chest.

"That's what you get for spying," Collin shrugged. I pushed past them and started storming away, following the forest.

"No wonder you two don't have girlfriends. No girl wants a creepy guy who pops out of thin air."

"Why were you spying?" Brady asked, appearing beside me and keeping pace with my walk.

"Fuck!" I jumped again, "You two need to stop moving so fast."

"It bother you?" Collin asked, materializing out of thin air on the other side of me.

"A little. You just about stopped my heart."

"Sorry, sometimes I forget you have one," Collin admitted.

"She doesn't," Brady mumbled.

"Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I'm heartless. We've been over this."

"You seem really uncomfortable right now, Liza. Who makes you feel more uncomfortable? Me or Brady?"

"It's a real tossup. When I'm alone with you, I have to talk about subjects I don't like talking about and when I'm with Brady I feel like I need to cover my mouth to avoid being kissed." I glared briefly at Brady and he smiled.

"Whatever," Brady shrugged. "You can say you dislike me as much as you want but I know you enjoy kissing me."

"No, I really don't."

"It's understandable. Don't be embarrassed. We can't always choose who we're attracted to."

"I. Am. Not. Attracted. To. You."

"I don't see why liking me is such a horrible thing… I was quite the ladies man in high school."

Brady? Ladies man? Did he have a girlfriend? Did he have ten girlfriends? Were they pretty? Prettier than me? Did he love them? Did they love him?

_Not like I care, or anything… _

"You're over six feet tall and are a muscular werewolf, of course you were a ladies man."

"I'm a werewolf, too. I didn't have girls falling all over _me_," Collin complained. _Falling all over Brady? _The idea was almost laughable.

"Because you look like a monkey," I explained to Collin.

Brady laughed. "So you're saying I'm more attractive than Collin?"

_Fuck. Talk about digging yourself into a deep hole you can't get out of…_

I hope he didn't see my face turn red. I didn't like Brady, but I certainly noticed his looks. _Mr. Tall Dark and Muscular._

"Gaby and Camille thought you were attractive," I answered, trying to skirt around the subject.

"But what about you?"

"Well, I suppose you're somewhat attractive. Not as much as others in the pack, though. Jacob, Embry, Nolan, Quil, Mason."

"You do _not_ think Mason is hot." I saw Brady's frown through the darkness.

"You know I do."

I _did_ think Mason was hot. Anyone with eyes would say that. But he wasn't necessarily hotter than Brady. I would be lying if I said I didn't think Brady was hot. But his hotness did not make up for his annoyingness, so I figured it was better to not get his hopes up.

"So, where are you going?" Collin asked, keeping in step with me.

"I am trying to get away from you," I informed him.

"That's pretty hard considering we are right beside you," Brady shared.

"Is this my punishment for spying? Cause I'd rather be put in the stocks…" A second later I saw the beach again. It wasn't the same part of the beach where the fire was, but I could see the flames and smoke in the distance.

There was something else I saw. Two figures. Much closer than the rest of the group.

"Lilly?" I asked. The girl turned at me and smiled. I was happy that Lilly and I were talking again. I had come to my senses Wednesday morning and apologized. The argument about Brady was not at all over, but Lilly and I had agreed that our friendship was too special to get ruined over a boy. And I was relieved beyond words, because I needed Lilly a lot more than I would ever admit. She kept me sane in this world full of crazy people.

"Hey Eliza… and Brady and Collin." Her face twisted in confusion when she noticed who I was with. Embry wore a similar expression.

"What's up?" Lilly asked, still looking unsure what to make of the situation.

"I'm being harassed," I announced, jabbing fingers at the two idiots on either side of me.

"Eliza thinks I'm hot!" Brady boasted. My face turned red with a mix of rage and embarrassment.

"I never said that!" I hissed. "I said that you are somewhat attractive."

"But you think I'm hot," Brady told me, a confident smile pasted on his face.

"No I don't."

"Your cheeks are betraying your mouth, my dear," Brady said, brushing his fingers across my flaming skin. _Damn my blush!_

"If you ever call me that again I'm kicking you in the face," I threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," He shared. I rolled my eyes and stomped away from him and over to Lilly.

"So what were you two talking about?" I asked, moving a finger between Lilly and Embry.

"Not much," Embry answered. "School and stuff."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Nothing worse than seven hours a day five days a week in educational prison."

"Oh really? Cause if you'd rather spend seven hours a day five days a week with me I think we can arrange that," Brady winked. I rolled my eyes again.

"School is the _second _worst way to spend my time," I edited.

"Are you guys having a little party over here without us? We aren't good enough or something?" Nolan asked, making his way over to us.

"Actually, we were just on our way back," Embry told him.

"Cool," Nolan nodded.

We all began to walk back the short distance to the fire. No one said anything except for Collin who kept mumbling about how he didn't look anything like a monkey.

I didn't pay much attention to that, though. I was distracted by Brady, who was staring intensely at me while I walked. When our eyes made contact he smiled. I narrowed mine in response.

Lilly noticed our little stare-off and stepped in between, looking at me with curious eyes.

_What happened? _She mouthed.

_Nothing, _I mouthed back, praying that she didn't see right through me.

Lilly rolled her eyes and nodded.

_Why can't I lie convincingly anymore?_ I thought angrily to myself.

Stupid Brady. Stupid Collin. Stupid boys. Stupid nosey friends. Stupid summer. Stupid everything. Stupid. Stupid. _Stupid._

"Like really, me, a monkey?" Collin repeated.

"GET OFF OF IT!" I yelled, a little sharper than I intended. Sand flew everywhere as I stormed back to the rest of our group.

_Claire_

Within twenty seconds of being at the beach, Quil approached me, asking to talk. He looked unsure, as if he really didn't know if I'd want to talk to him. _How ridiculous. _I agreed right away, of course.

If I didn't want to see Quil I never would have gone through so much trouble to actually get here. It had taken hours of convincing my dad. I had to lie and say Quil wouldn't be there, and then get Eliza to promise Dad she'd keep an eye on me, and _then _I had to get Sam and Emily to confirm to him that they were going to be there and would watch me.

The only thing harder than getting permission to come here was keeping my emotions intact. Ever since yesterday when Quil had hit my father and gotten banned from the house all I wanted to do was scream. Scream at the top of my lungs and throw a fit like I was still a little girl. I didn't care if Quil was mad at me or not anymore. I would do anything to fix things, I would grovel if I had to.

If nothing else in the world made sense, the way I felt about Quil did. The strong, intense, magical, beautiful love I had for him was unlike anything I had ever experienced. If I could only have one thing it would be that—Quil's love.

After a few minutes of walking in tense silence, I realized where we were headed. The trees quickly opened to a small piece of sand that was "our spot". Then Quil stopped walking. He took a deep breath, and I wasn't sure if he was going to speak or not. The anticipation was literally killing me.

"About yesterday…" Quil began.

"I'm so sorry!" We said in unison. _What? What the hell is he sorry for?_

Quil's face immediately became puzzled. "Wait, why are_ you _sorry?" He asked, mimicking my thoughts.

"I've been so horrible to you these past couple days! The whole thing with Mason and then again yesterday and I had no reason to fight with you. Oh God, I'm so sorry, Quil," My voice choked with tears, "I need you! I love you so much and I want you to know that. You do everything for me and I'm nothing but awful to you. I will never talk to Mason again for as long as I live if that's what you want! I'll do anything…" I was practically sobbing now, "Just please, _please,_ don't hate me."

Quil looked horrified, then surprised, then both. "Me… hate… you?" He tried, sounding confused, like the words didn't belong together in that order. "I figured that you hated _me_. I was going to get down on my knees and beg shamelessly for you to forgive me for yesterday."

"But you didn't do anything," I murmured, trying to quiet my crying.

"I tried to control you like I own you, I yelled at you, I lost control and knocked your father flat on his back, got him to hate me even more, and then got banned forever from your house."

I grabbed his face, bringing it close to mine so my tear-filled eyes were boring into his big, dark ones. "No, you don't own me, but I _am _yours, Quil. If you don't want me talking to Mason, so be it. I'll do anything for you, and that includes trusting you. I know you didn't mean to hurt my dad—"

"I did, actually. I was hoping for a concussion," Quil admitted, his voice full of enmity. My eyes widened slightly.

"He grabbed at you, Claire. If he ever thinks about raising even a finger towards you with intentions of hitting or hurting you in any way like that again, I am going to send him to his grave." Quil's entire body was vibrating. His dark eyes were practically black in the darkness, making him look almost menacing. This was one of the first times I saw Quil for what he really was, a werewolf. The fierceness in his eyes surprised me. But I wasn't afraid. Not of Quil.

"Calm down, baby," I breathed. His eyes had never left mine, but at the sound of my voice, they seemed to clear somehow, and I felt like he could see me again.

"Look, none of that shit matters, okay? What matters is how we feel about each other. Nothing can come between us. Not walls, or my father… nothing. We can still make this work. I know this because it's you and it's me, and we're made to love each other."

Quil closed the small gap between our mouths before I could say more. I hadn't kissed Quil since Thursday, and the realization of just how much I missed him dawned on me.

It was Saturday yet again. The seventh day of seven of the most terrible days I had ever experienced.

As the kiss deepened, I felt more and more desperate. My heart beat accelerated to what felt like a million beats per minute, each beat seeming to whisper "Quil, Quil, Quil, Quil."

Or maybe that was just me… moaning his name as he attacked my neck with kisses.

"We had our first date here," Quil recalled, peeking up from my neck and smiling brilliantly.

"I remember. We never got to finish it, though. Damn vampires," I yanked him up to my mouth and kept kissing him.

Quil's mouth had this marvelous kind of flavor that I couldn't even begin to describe. It didn't taste like anything else on planet earth I had ever tasted. It was just him. And it was_ intoxicating_.

_If Quil's kisses are crack then I'm a proud addict._

"Lets go swimming."

"Right now?" I asked with a giggle, pecking him on the lips.

"Yeah, why not?"

"I'm not wearing a swimsuit…"

"Exactly," Quil smiled mischievously, picking me off of the ground and spinning me around while kissing me.

"Sure, why not?" I shrugged, knowing fully what the consequences could be and completely disregarding them. I laughed as Quil eagerly pulled my shirt over my head. He had a stupidly happy grin pasted on his face, reminiscent of a little boy at Christmas.

"I know how to take off my own clothes Quil," I reminded him, giggling and shaking my head.

"I like to do it," Quil told me, sliding his hand down my bare stomach to the top of my jeans.

"Excuse me, but you're not taking off my pants before you take off your shirt," I told him.

"You just look so much better undressed," Quil shared, kissing me again.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes. Removing Quil's shirt when he was a full foot taller than me turned out to be more work than I had expected. I threw the shirt in the sand and it landed next to mine. Once I was done, Quil reached for the rim of my jeans again.

I jumped back with a laugh and started running towards the water, unbuttoning my own jeans in the process and kicking them down my legs.

"Hey, no fair!" Quil called.

"You snooze you lose," I teased, undoing my bra and flinging it in his direction. Quil was in front of me faster than I could blink. He scooped me up in his arms like I weighed nothing at all.

"For that, I'm going to have to steal these," He said, literally ripping the underwear off of my body and putting them in his back pocket.

"Thief!" I accused. "I needed to wear those home!"

"Oops," Quil smiled, not looking the least bit sorry. Quil supported my body with one hand, using the other to push his shorts down and kick out of them. We were both completely naked at that point. Thank God our little section of the beach was remote, and trees formed a barrier between it and the rest of the beach.

Quil ran into the water until he was about waist deep and then dropped me. I shrieked in surprise. The water was fucking freezing! "Quil!" I frowned. He laughed.

"Now we're even," He shared, opening his arms to me. Instead of going into them, I splashed water in his face.

"Hey!"

"_Now _we are even," I smirked. Quil pulled me into his arms and I was unable to fight him off for two reasons. One: I was freezing and he was radiating heat. Two: We were completely naked and our bodies were pressed tightly together.

I knotted my fingers in Quil's short hair, forcibly bringing his lips down to mine. Quil seemed happy to comply. "I love you, silly," he mumbled against my mouth before using his tongue to part my lips. The kiss was more passionate than the earlier ones. More desperate.

"Quil," I moaned into his mouth. He pulled me even tighter against him, and for the first time that night, I felt his hardness downstairs.

_It has been seven days since I've had sex with Quil, _I realized. I guess somewhere, in the back of my mind I had noticed the missing sexual contact… but I hadn't realized how much I missed it until just now.

"Oh God," I moaned as Quil slid his index finger between my breasts and down my stomach to the sensitive area between my legs. "Oh Quil."

"I love hearing you moan my name, baby," Quil whispered in my ear while working the finger between my legs. "You're so sexy."

"Thi-this is. This is a b-bad idea," I informed him in uneven breaths. "Someone could… see and—Oh God!" I let out a cry of pleasure. "St-stop! I'm tr-trying to talk!"

Quil smirked and removed his finger from my feminine zone. "Sorry," He apologized.

"No you aren't," I told him.

"Talk," He insisted.

"We can't have sex in the ocean. Anyone could show up at any time… And haven't we established that you're never paying attention when we're well… ya know? This is a public beach."

"Claire, the only people anywhere near here are the pack."

"Yeah, and my aunt, uncle, and nosey ass sister. Not to mention your dear friend Mason."

"Ugh! Are you trying to kill my mood, Claire?" He asked.

"No, but—" Quil silenced me with another kiss, encasing me even tighter in his arms. I couldn't deny how badly I wanted him. When would this chance come up again?

_Be reasonable, Claire…_ Annoying little voice #1 told me.

_Fuck him! Fuck him! Fuck him! _Annoying little voice #2 buzzed.

"Please," Quil whispered into my mouth.

"Okay," I agreed, removing my lips from his but keeping them centimeters apart.

"I love you!" Quil smiled widely.

"Because I'll have sex in the freezing cold ocean with you knowing that if my dad ever found out he would kill you and ground me until I'm thirty?"

Quil chuckled. "I love you for being the sexiest, smartest, funniest, most interesting girl in the entire world."

"Smartest girl in the world? I haven't even taken calculus…" I reminded, kissing him again.

"Whatever, Claire. You know what I mean," He kissed me again, sweetly this time.

So I had sex with Quil in the ocean on the last Saturday night of summer, knowing that someone could come across us at any moment.

And I'd never felt more alive…

**Please review! Pretty please! I love my reviewers :)**


	34. First Day Pt One

**Author's Note: So this chapter is loooooooooong, I actually had to cut it in half. I know I did this last time, too. There is simply no other way. I promise that the next chapters will be back to regular length, okay? I know it's hard to read long chapters, and this one was the longest of them all. If you like longer chapters, leave a review letting me know. If not, then enjoy the chapters. REVIEW! PLEASE!**

_Claire_

And just when I thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, they did.

Here are a few things I hate: waking up early, school, Mondays, rain, my father, being away from Quil.

And lucky me, I was sitting at the breakfast table early Monday morning with my father getting ready to go to school and spend yet another day away from Quil.

"Is this shirt okay?" Eliza asked, sauntering into the kitchen.

"Does it matter?" I mumbled, looking down at the tie-dyed t-shirt I had thrown on and raggedy old jeans. "It's just school."

"Correction, Claire," She said, taking a seat at the table beside me, "It is the first day of school. You are supposed to look better than you usually do."

"Are you saying that I don't look good?" I asked with fake worry.

"Your words, not mine," She shrugged.

"Are you excited for your first day of high school?" My father asked. Funny how he only took interest in his _favorite _daughter's life. Apparently he just kept me around so he could turn my life into a living hell.

"I guess so. I mean, school is school. At least there's lots of hot guys," She smirked.

"I'm sure if you got a boyfriend Dad wouldn't ban _him _from the house," I remarked bitterly.

"Well, my boyfriend wouldn't be thirty," Eliza shrugged.

"No, but maybe he'd be twenty eight," I sneered. I was being a little unfair, it wasn't Eliza's fault I was in a bad mood but… still.

"I don't pursue older men," she said flatly.

"But they certainly pursue you."

"Who are we talking about?" Dad asked cautiously.

"No one," Eliza answered at the same time as I told him "Brady Fuller, of course."

"Is this the boy you girls were talking about at Emily's last week?" He asked suspiciously.

"The one who is in love with Eliza? Yes," I replied nastily.

"I've told you, Claire. He is not in love with me," Eliza snapped.

"I'm sure it wouldn't matter if he is or not. Dad would support you either way. Why wouldn't he? He'd hate to upset his favorite daughter."

"Claire, enough," My father said sternly.

"Or what?" I snapped. "You'll ground me? You're running out of ways to punish me, Dad."

"Claire, I am not punishing you. I am just trying to look out for you and that boy is—"

"News flash, 'that boy' is my boyfriend. He knows me way better than you do and I love him. You really know nothing about me, or him, for that matter."

"I know what's good for you, Claire. And it's not him."

"The hell you know!" I shouted. "You know nothing!"

"Knock knock," Emily's voice floated from the living room, along with sound of the door opening and closing. A second later she appeared in the kitchen, a hesitant smile on her face.

"Hey Auntie Emily," I greeted, my anger melting away like an ice cube in the summertime. "What are you doing here?"

"I called her last night and asked if she would help me get you girls to school in the morning. I understand that you don't attend the same school and there is a bit of a drive between them," My father explained.

"Are you about ready to go, Claire?" Emily asked. I felt relieved that Emily was here to rescue me and not Eliza. I would have rather walked to school in the rain than be in the same car as my father.

"Yeah," I replied, slipping on my shoes, grabbing my school bag, and putting on my coat before leaving the room. I didn't bother saying goodbye to Eliza or my father.

A minute later, Emily and I were getting into her Prius and backing down the driveway. "Okay, confession time. I didn't agree to drive you because I have an overwhelming love for my brother and wanted to be helpful," Emily admitted as she started the car down the road. I gave a genuine laugh.

"Then why did you agree?" I questioned.

"I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you lately. I didn't even see you on Saturday."

Even though Emily was at the bonfire Saturday night, I hadn't seen her at all. I'd spent the entire night with Quil's tongue in my mouth and his dick—well, you get the picture. The point is, Emily and I hadn't really talked in a while.

"Yeah, I was a little preoccupied," I admitted, turning to the window in hopes of hiding my blush.

"Claire, no offense, but you look like death. I'm really worried about you."

"I know. Quil and I were arguing last Friday, and then Dad was trying to pull me inside, and Quil didn't like the way Dad was handling me, so he punched him. Now Quil isn't aloud in the house anymore," I told her, swallowing the painful lump of tears building up in my throat.

"I heard about that," Emily said softly. "How are you coping?"

"I'm not."

"My brother is really pissing me off," Emily admitted.

Despite my dark mood, I giggled. "Auntie Emily, did you just say a bad word?"

"Forget you heard that," She smiled. "Or else I'll have to kill you."

"Go ahead. There's not much left of me anyways."

"Don't say that, Claire. You're only sixteen, and this is all going to blow over eventually."

"I can't wait that long. That's like telling someone who is suffocating that they will be able to breathe eventually. Eventually is not soon enough," I frowned.

"Well, La Push isn't too big, maybe you'll just randomly see Quil around."

We were pulling up to the school now. "But Auntie Em, how can I just see him? That's a lot easier said than done."

Emily's eye caught on something and she smiled, bringing the car to an easy stop. "Well, if you look up I think you'll find it's actually pretty easy."

_What? _I glanced up from my lap and low and behold, there was Quil on the front lawn of my school, hiding from the rain under the branches of a large tree.

"Did you know about this?" I asked Emily. She smirked.

"I'll see you later, okay?" She told me. "Don't be a stranger!" I nodded, giving her a quick hug before swinging open the front door.

"Have a nice day!" I heard her call before the door fell shut. It took all of my effort to walk to the tree at a normal pace and not drop everything and sprint over to him.

At the sound of my approach Quil looked up, a mischievous smile on his face. "Hey," He greeted upon my reaching him.

"Hey yourself," I giggled, going into his arms for a hug. "You know loitering on school property is a serious offense."

"Oh hush," He chuckled back, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. I noticed a few students turn and gawk as they walked towards the school. Gorgeous, muscular guys who are six foot four tend to draw attention.

"I missed you yesterday," I told him, running my hands across his warm, soft face, which was angled down so he could look at me.

"Not as much as I missed you," He retaliated.

"Why are you always so confident that you need me more than I need you?" I asked, rolling my eyes good-naturedly.

"Because I do," Quil replied, kissing me softly again.

"I doubt that," I challenged.

"So stubborn," Quil mused, brushing his fingers through rain-damp hair.

"Is there a particular reason you are at my school at seven forty in the morning?" I asked.

"Umm… because I love you?" Quil answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I love you too," I smiled, "But I doubt you came all the way over here on a shitty morning like this to tell me that."

"Well, I just wanted to see you. I actually have an idea… I know I'm not aloud to go over to your house, and your dad hates my guts and won't let you see me, but what if you told him that you watch Amelia after school everyday because Sam and Emily work."

"But I don't." My forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Exactly," Quil winked, kissing me a third time. That's when I understood. I would lie.

"That's brilliant!" I exclaimed, pulling his face down to mine and planting a huge kiss on his lips.

"If we kiss one more time I think I'm going to have to kidnap you. It's already going to be hard enough to let you walk into that damn building."

"I'll see you after school," I reminded him.

"Actually, not right after school. Not today. Jake has this idea that the pack should go out and try to get jobs or something, so me and Nolan are job hunting in Port Angeles today."

I frowned. "Well, what time will you be back?"

"Not late, maybe four. If you just walk over to my place you won't get there till three thirty anyways. You can just hang there."

"But what about… you know who," I didn't want to upset Quil by saying Mason's name. Saturday night I had finally agreed that I would have nothing to do with Mason. It was what Quil wanted, and I just wanted to do something for Quil. I'd never had a reason to distrust Quil before, and fighting with Quil was too much for me, so I caved.

"Haven't seen him today," Quil shrugged. "He doesn't like to hang around the house if he can help it."

I nodded. "So I'll see you at four?"

"Four," Quil confirmed.

Despite his warning, I pulled Quil down for yet another kiss. This one wasn't a peck on the lips like the others, though. Quil gripped my hips tightly with his hands, pulling me closer and prying my lips open with his tongue. My arms were wrapped tightly around Quil's neck, preventing him from leaving.

"Excuse me young man, but do you go here?" An older voice asked. Quil and I practically jumped apart as I whipped my head towards the voice. It was Mr. Bomber, the principal.

_Damn it! _

"No Sir," Quil answered politely. "I was just leaving."

Mr. Bomber nodded sternly.

"Love you, Baby," Quil whispered in my ear before pecking my cheek and running away. I blushed at the realization that Mr. Bomber had not yet moved.

"Miss Young," He began.

"Yes, Sir?"

"I trust you will pass the message on to your boyfriend that guests are not allowed on school grounds without authorization."

"Of course," I nodded before scurrying away towards the front steps.

The Quileute Valley school hadn't changed much in the last thirty years. The floors were worn and the walls were yellowing. Mr. Bomber had been principle for the last sixteen years though, and refused to change a single thing about the school. He thought keeping it the same made it "authentic".

In reality, it just made the school old and smelly.

Even though the first bell wouldn't ring for another ten minutes or so, the front steps were littered with students. _Why do they all think it's cool to stop and have a conversation right in front of the door? _

"Claire!" A familiar voice yelled. I turned to find Kallia Reed, my closest human friend, racing up the front steps. Like usual, her arms were full. Kallia refused to wear her backpack on her back and instead carried it in her arms everywhere she went. (She claimed that if she wore it on her back someone would sneak up behind her and steal things out of it.) On the third step, she lost her footing and tumbled down back to the sidewalk. This was also usual for Kallia. I laughed, making my way down the steps to help her.

"You okay?" I asked, bending down and scooping up her school stuff, which had scattered when her backpack fell.

"Of course. Just fell on my ass in front of half of the student body, what else is new?" She smiled. The funny thing was, Kallia was one hundred percent serious. I had never met a more fun-loving, easy-going person than Kallia. And I loved her for it. I guess you could say she was one of the best friends I had, but we weren't really _that _close. We rarely hung out outside of school, and of course she didn't know about the pack. I'd never really needed other friends, anyways. I'd always had Quil.

"You know, maybe if you didn't have a backpack blocking your eyes you would be able to see where you were going," I teased, handing her the backpack. She took it graciously and then stood up.

"I can see where I'm going!" She defended. "The stairs just got taller over the summer and my legs were unprepared."

I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Okay, Kallia."

"So how was your summer? I barely saw you! We always say we are going to hang but then you get hung up on something or I'm busy or you already have plans or the weather is bad and we barely ever cross paths cause we don't live near each other or anything." (Kallia also loved to talk.)

"My summer was good, I guess," I shrugged. _Biggest understatement of my life. _My summer was fucking amazing. I got Quil for a boyfriend, a wonderful, amazing, perfect boyfriend. But I couldn't tell Kallia _that_. The pack kept as low a profile as they could, but anyone who knew them thought they were in their late teens or early twenties. Kallia thought Quil was my twenty-three year old best friend. If I told her that I was sleeping with him, well… That would just start talk. Not that Kallia was a gossip... she just couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

"Mine sucked! I had a broken leg all June and part of July! I fell down the stupid stairs at my aunt's house and then had to spend half of my summer sitting around doing nothing."

I nodded sympathetically. _Well, _I_ almost died by drowning in a pit of magic mug during a vampire attack, _I added silently, _beat that!_

Together, we pushed our way through the throng of students and to the double doors.

"But hey, that's over now. I can walk and I'm ready for junior year," Kallia announced cheerily, pushing the door open and slipping in to the building.

"Well you won't be walking much longer if you keep tripping up the steps," I giggled, following her inside.

"Don't hate."

"First bell hasn't even rung and you girls are already arguing?" Melissa asked, coming up beside us. Her best friend, Brewer, was with her too.

"It's not an argument. Claire is teasing me," Kallia explained.

"Why? Did you trip?" Brewer asked.

"Am I _that_ predictable?" Kallia asked loudly, practically running into a group of freshmen.

"Pretty much," Melissa shrugged.

Like most people at this school, I'd been classmates with Melissa and Brewer since kindergarten. I wouldn't exactly call us good friends, but we had Kallia in common. It was impossible to dislike Kallia.

"How was your summer, Claire?" Brewer asked, sounding genuinely curious. "I didn't see you at all!"

I shrugged. "It was nice. Anything is better than school."

"Good, nice, blah! You are so vague," Kallia chirped.

"You're just an over-sharer," Melissa informed her.

"Am not," Kallia snapped back.

"Who do you guys have for homeroom?" I asked.

"I think I have Mrs. Collins," Melissa answered.

"Lucky, I have Mr. Reynolds. He smells," Kallia groaned.

"I have Reynolds too, we can sit together," Brewer grinned.

"What about you?" Melissa inquired, turning to me.

"Ms. Monroe," I replied, checking my paper just to be sure.

"I'm so jealous! I hear she's like, the best!" Kallia gushed. "She's the junior English teacher."

"Speaking of teachers, I hear they fired Coach Huffman and got a new guy. A younger, sexier one," Melissa giggled.

"I don't care how sexy the gym teacher is, gym is gym," I complained. Brewer bit her lip, checking her watch quickly.

"The bell is ringing in four minutes, I should go. I want to make sure I don't get a seat in the back of the room!" Brewer said, racing off in the other direction.

"That girl needs to get the pole up her butt removed," Melissa laughed. "See you guys at lunch." She left too.

"I better go chase after Brewer and make sure she doesn't start kissing Mr. Reynolds's ass. Talk to you at lunch, kay?"

"Yeah, see ya," I waved, continuing down the hall to my homeroom class.

The first half of the day was uneventful. We spent thirty minutes in homeroom, got assigned our class schedules, and then started visiting our classes. First hour I had government which I could already tell was going to be one of my least favorite classes. Second hour was slightly better, because it was English. Ms. Monroe really did seem like a nice teacher, and I had that class with Kallia. The second I sat down she had a million stories to tell me. Apparently a lot of crap happened in the hour since I had last seen her.

"Did you have the new guy in your first hour class? Everyone is talking about him, but I haven't seen him yet!"

"New guy?" Let me explain something briefly, the Quileute Valley School _never _got new students. _Who in their right mind would choose to come here? _

"I mean, maybe everyone is just making a big deal because we haven't had a new kid since freshman year, but I don't know. I hear he's pretty hot."

_Hotter than Quil? I don't think so…_

"Cool," I replied, my enthusiasm pathetically low. Kallia just shrugged.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you!" Kallia practically jumped out of her seat.

"What?"

"I have a Nutella sandwich today!"

I couldn't help but crack up laughing. That _would _be Kallia's big news. After that Ms. Monroe started up class and I didn't get a chance to talk to her anymore.

My last class before lunch was biology. Mr. Reynolds spent the entire class period droning on and on about all of the "exciting" things we would be learning that year. All I could think of was how Kallia was right—he _did _smell.

By lunch, it seemed like everyone I passed in the halls was whispering about the new kid. It was ridiculous how the smallest of news could capture the interest of the entire student body. The last new student in our grade turned out to be a geeky kid named Liam who got suspended after being found peeing in the girls bathroom. Turns out he had an irrational fear of penises and refused to go into the boys restroom.

The cafeteria was smaller than most; small enough that the school needed to have a lunch period after third and after fourth hour. I had always been in first lunch, which didn't really bother me. By the time I reached the lunchroom, Melissa, Brewer, and Kallia were already seated at our usual table. I didn't waste any time going over to them and sitting down. (No one else in the school was really worth talking to.)

"I hear he's single!" Brewer squealed to Melissa and Kallia as I sat down.

"How did you hear that?" Melissa asked urgently. "I hear he hasn't talked to anyone all day!"

"Hey Claire," Kallia smiled, taking a large bite of her Nutella sandwich she had been so excited about. I honestly wasn't that hungry, but pulled out my lunch anyways, which consisted of a sandwich, goldfish, and an apple juice. (Yes, it _is _a kiddy lunch, don't judge me.)

"Hey," I returned her smile. "Sounds like you guys are talking about new kid."

"You mean my future husband?" Melissa corrected. I shrugged. The girls giggled about how cute they all thought he was for the next five minutes. I mostly tuned them out, sipping on my juice and snacking on my goldfish.

"What's his name?" Kallia asked, leaning in to Melissa like this was life-changing news.

"Mason Ateara!" Melissa squealed. "Sexy name, right?"

I choked on my apple juice.

**I'm going to go ahead and post the other chapter too, since it is actually the same chapter cut in half. I understand this is a total cliffy. Muahaha ;) Going to meet a few more new characters in the next chapter as well. **


	35. First Day Pt Two

**Author's Note: Here is the second part right after the first as promised. Make sure you have read "First Day Pt One" before reading this. ENJOY! AND REVIEW!**

_Eliza _

The freshman orientation video was absolutely boring. If Lilly and I hadn't ended up in the same homeroom I probably would have shot myself. We had a piece of paper going between us, covered in notes.

_So what was going on with you and Brady Saturday? _Lilly wrote, _you seemed kind of out of it when I saw you. _

_ Nothing. He's just a stupid guy and Collin is his incredibly annoying sidekick. _

_It didn't seem like nothing to me. You looked kind of… Idk. Flustered… _

_ Flustered? _I wrote curiously. _Why such big words so early in the morning? _

In reality, I just _really _didn't want to talk about Saturday. Why was it that every conversation I had with someone these days involved Brady? I didn't even like him!

_Yes, flustered. Embarrassed. Nervous. Whatever words you want to use. You kept blushing and getting overly defensive about everything. _

I rolled my eyes. _Was not,_ I wrote.

_Were so,_she retaliated. _Be honest, do you like him? _

I nearly choked on my own spit. Why the hell would Lilly ask a question like that?

_Of course not! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! _

_Yeesh! I was just asking! _

_ Can we just change the subject? _

_Fine. _

After that the conversation consisted mostly of nonsense. We were trapped in that horrid homeroom up until lunch. I had never been more happy to get out of a classroom in my entire life.

The original Forks High School had been torn down back in two thousand ten, and this one had been built in its place. From what I hear, this one is much nicer than the old one. Mainly because the old school was a collection of buildings, and students had to walk outside to get from class to class. _Who would want to walk outside in Forks when it rains nearly every day?_

The cafeteria had tons of windows, which were probably meant to bring in natural light, but because of the terrible weather just gave a view of the greenish-gray sky. A mixture of circular and rectangular tables littered the room, the circular ones for bigger groups and the rectangular fitting no more than six people. Lilly and I had just entered the cafeteria when Camille and Gaby hunted us down.

"There you are, Eliza!" Camille said, acting as if she had been on a mad search for me, which I doubt she was. "Where have you been?"

"Walking," I answered simply, pointing at the door.

"Not just now. I mean this past week! You totally ditched us at the beach and never called us back or anything."

"Oh, yeah," I stared straight into her eyes. I had learned over the past few ways is that the best way to prevent Camille from having power over you is to show her that you aren't afraid of her. And _I _was certainly not afraid of Camille Glover. "Sorry. I was busy."

"Well," Camille sniffed, sticking her nose up slightly in the air, "You can make it up to us by sitting at our table."

"You can sit with us too, Lilly," Gaby added with a genuine if not somewhat ditsy smile. Lilly did not look enthused. To be honest, I didn't care much either. As long as Lilly and I weren't in an argument, I really didn't need Camille or Gaby.

"It's super fun. Travis and Marco are going to sit with us too," Camille bragged. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lilly roll her eyes. She was not taken by the freshman 'it boys' any more than I was.

"Well, I promised Jasmine I'd sit with her," Lilly explained. Jasmine had known Lilly longer than I had, and even though I was her best friend, she was also still close with Jasmine. I really liked Jasmine, too, she kind of reminded me of a much tanner version of Lilly.

"Jasmine can sit with us, it's important to make new students feel included," Gaby gushed.

"Jasmine has been going to school with us since the second grade," Lilly reminded her, rolling her eyes again.

Gaby shrugged.

"Are you sitting with us or not?" Camille asked, raising an eyebrow.

I glanced at Lilly from the corner of my eye, she made a disgusted face but then gave a small nod. "Sure," I sighed. "Why not?"

"Great!" Camille chimed, practically dragging us across the cafeteria.

Lilly grabbed my arm and pulled me back to her, positioning her mouth close to my ear. "You owe me, big time," She whisper-hissed.

"I know, put it on my tab," I giggled.

On the way there Lilly spotted Jasmine and quietly told her about our seating arrangement.

"Wait, we're sitting with Camille Glover, Gaby Rivera, Travis Newton, and Marco Carnella? Are you kidding me?" I couldn't tell if she was excited or pissed.

"I wish I were," Lilly mumbled.

Our lunch table was—of course—one of the circular tables. _Where else could a group of popular kids be expected to stay? _I thought sarcastically.

"Hey ladies, wassup?" Marco smiled as we all sat down. I somehow got stuck between Camille and Lilly, which probably wouldn't end well. In case it hasn't been made clear, Camille and Lilly do not associate with each other on a friendly level. Camille doesn't understand why I would hang out with Lilly when ditching her would 'make me cooler' and Lilly doesn't understand why I hang out with Camille despite the fact that I don't really like her.

_My life is complicated, okay?_

"If you ever say 'wassup' again I'm going to stop talking to you," Gaby laughed.

"Don't be jealous of my swag!"

"Your what?" Lilly asked, wrinkling her forehead in confusion.

"Ignore him, he's obnoxious," Travis informed her, cupping his hands around his mouth as if it would prevent his best friend from hearing. Marco punched him in the arm. They both laughed.

"Hey, Eliza, what's you class schedule?" Camille asked, turning to me. I bent down to rifle through my purse. After a second I retrieved the crisp white sheet and handed it to her.

She examined it briefly. "Awesome, we have first and sixth hour together!" She grinned.

_Joy. _

"You have sixth hour gym, too?" Gaby squealed.

"I do, too," Lilly added.

"I think I do, too," Jasmine added.

"Awesome," Camille smiled, this time looking less excited.

"In case you fine, _fine, _females were curious, Travis and I also have sixth hour P.E." Marco smirked.

"What a coincidence," Gaby smiled. Though, at this point, she was the only girl who looked excited about it.

"You know what guy I would _really _love to have gym with?" Camille asked.

"Me?" Marco winked. "Wish granted."

"Actually, I was talking about that smoking hot guy from the beach last week. What was his name again, Liza? Brady, right?"

Lilly covered her mouth to muffle her hysterical laughter. Camille turned to her curiously for a second before refocusing on me.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "But I wouldn't call him 'smoking hot' exactly."

"I would," Gaby shared. "Esta bien bueno!"

"Whatever _that _means," Camille shrugged.

"She's agreeing with you," Jasmine clarified.

"You never did tell us, Liza. What _were _you and Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome talking about after you pulled him away oh so selfishly?" Camille asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

Of course Lilly decided to choose this point to become invested in the conversation. "Yeah, Liza. What _were _you and Brady talking about? We're all _so _curious."

"You know him?" Camille asked suspiciously.

"Of course I know Brady. We're really good friends," Lilly answered smugly. "We hang out all the time."

_Why, I repeat, WHY must every conversation be about stupid fucking Brady! _I screamed silently.

"Who is this Brady guy, anyways?" Marco asked, sounding unimpressed.

"This _really_ sexy native guy that Eliza and Lilly are trying to keep all to themselves," Camille answered in a playfully mad voice. But there was something in her eyes… a glint of jealousy.

"Well, he can't _possibly_ be hotter than me," Marco shrugged, flipping his golden blonde hair and winking at her.

Travis laughed loudly and shoved him. "Dude, you have _no _lady skills. You're just a smart boy with a pretty face. The girls clearly want me. I'm the complete package."

"_Pretty?_" Marco pouted with false hurt. "I'm not pretty, I'm beautiful!" He announced loudly, causing everyone else at the table to laugh but me.

I felt sick to my stomach. Travis and Marco acted just like Brady and Collin…

"I'm not even keeping Brady all to myself," I snapped, drawing back everyone's attention. "Not at all. As a matter of fact, I passionately hate him.

"So then _what _were you talking about," Camille asked again, much sharper this time, enunciating every consonant.

"He, uh, stole my headphones a few weeks ago. I wanted them back," I said, this time not looking in to her eyes.

"Oh, okay," She sounded convinced.

But a few seconds later, when I finally glanced in her direction, I knew for a fact that she didn't believe me.

Not at all.

_Claire_

_ Holy fucking shit. _

"What did you say?" I croaked, sure I must have misheard. There was no way… _no way_.

"Mason Ateara, that's what he told Mrs. Collins in homeroom," Melissa shared, a love-struck smile plastered on her face.

"You okay, Claire?" Kallia asked, shooting me a nervous look. "You're turning white like you just saw a ghost or something."

I was unable to reply. Unable to do anything. My head was spinning. _Impossible. It's impossible. Why would he be here? _

"Oh my God!" Brewer squeaked. "I didn't know that he had our lunch!"

"That's him?" Kallia asked, turning her body to whatever was behind us. I didn't move.

"Yeah!" Brewer gushed. "Gorgeous, right?"

"You weren't kidding! Oh my God."

_He isn't even _that _hot… _I thought to myself. _These girls are just being ridiculous. _

The annoying little voice in my head decided to speak up and say that yeah, he is actually pretty fucking hot.

_Not as hot as Quil, of course… but still._

"No way, Mr. Sexy Ateara is staring _directly _at our table!" Melissa whisper squealed.

Without thinking, I whipped my head around. My stomach dropped instantly, there was Mason on the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall by the doors in a way that screamed 'bad boy'.

And he was staring right at me, eyes smoldering. I blushed and turned quickly back to my friends and the table, taking a nervous bite out of my sandwich.

"I've always had a weakness for bad boys," Melissa admitted, her eyes going over my head, obviously to sneak another peek at Mason.

I realized with a sudden horror that if his eyes were fixed on our table, he was most likely using his sensitive ears to listen to our conversation, too. The epiphany made my face redden even more.

"No eff-ing way," Brewer breathed. "He's walking over here."

_Damn it! _I had no time to run. No time to make an excuse about needing to use the restroom, or see the nurse, or even throw some trash away. I was trapped.

A second later Mason appeared at our table, plopping down in the seat directly across from me, beside Brewer. I looked away.

"Hello, ladies," He greeted casually. Brewer was about ready to die.

"Hi, I'm Kallia!" Kallia introduced herself excitedly, reaching her hand out to shake his. He did, and I noticed Kallia's face change, probably in response to the extreme heat radiating off of his body.

"How rude, I never introduced myself. I'm Mason," Mason smirked, clearly knowing the effect he was having on the other three girls at our table. He hadn't looked at me yet, and for that I was relieved.

"I know!" Brewer blurted. It only took her a quarter of a second to realize she sounded like a total stalker, and with that realization came the smacking sound of her had hitting her mouth. "I—I mean, that's what I heard… around… from people."

_Smooth, Brewer. Really smooth. _

Mason winked at her, causing Brewer to giggle nervously and practically fall out of her chair. Why he had this effect on such a good, smart girl like Brewer I had no idea.

"Well," He began, "It is a pleasure to meet you…?"

"Brewer," She answered immediately.

Mason raised an eyebrow (which _of course_ made him even more attractive),"Unique name," He commented.

"It's just a nickname. My real name is Nicole. I'm from Nebraska though, which is how I got the nickname," Her voice came out at a higher pitch than usual, her words spilling out of her mouth a mile a minute.

"And I'm Melissa," Melissa added, sparing Mason from listening to any more of Brewer's chattering. "No nickname," she added with a large nervous smile.

"Nice to meet you Melissa, no nickname." He was obviously overdoing the sexy thing in a way that made me want to roll my eyes.

"Mason, please stop charming the pants off of my friends. I'm trying to eat," I said sharply, finally acknowledging his presence at our table.

"Nice to see you too, Claire," he said in a tone that was almost ironic. I could feel his eyes burning into me, and couldn't stop myself from looking up and meeting them. I'd never noticed how dark his eyes were. So dark they looked more like dark pools than actual eyes. His stare was too intense for me to withstand for more than a second. When I looked away, I noticed Kallia glancing between us curiously in an attempt to interpret the situation.

"Wait, you two _know_ each other?" She questioned in disbelief.

"That's a possibility," Mason shrugged, not bothering to look at her. Kallia turned to me for confirmation.

"Claire?"

"Yeah… this isn't our first meeting," I admitted quietly.

"Oh my God!" Brewer half-squealed. "Claire! Did it never occur to you to mention this?"

Before I could even open my mouth to answer I was bombarded with another question.

"WAIT." Kallia put both of her hands in front of her in as if to say to slow down. "_How _do you two know each other exactly?"

Even though I didn't want to, I met eyes with Mason nervously across the table. _Oh, ya know. I was crying at the graveyard because I'm in love with Quil Ateara who you all think is twenty-three years old and I met Mason there right before he became a werewolf and found out him and Quil were cousins. He may also be in love with me, but I don't want to talk about that, because I'm actually dating Quil. _

Not the smartest thing to say… obviously. But I lied so much nowadays that the thought of telling another lie made me sick to my stomach.

"Uh—" I stammered. "He's Quil's cousin." _Half truth! _"He just moved here over the summer and he's staying with Quil," _basically truthful. _

"Oh! I can't believe I didn't make the connection originally!" Kallia spoke enthusiastically, as always. "Quil's last name is Ateara, too!"

"Funny how that works, huh?" Mason answered drily.

"So why did you move here?" Melissa inquired, leaning into him. Mason subtly leaned out as she leaned in.

"Because I am a very bad boy and my mother was very tired of it," Mason explained with a mischievous smile. Only I saw the sadness hidden in his eyes.

"I think bad boys are sexy," Melissa told him in her best flirty voice.

"My mom doesn't," Mason noted quickly, leaning slightly further away.

"Mason, why are you here? You should go make some friends. You know, ones that aren't mine," I told him sharply.

"_Claire!_"Brewer hissed through her teeth.

"Nah, she's right. I need to get out of this room, it smells like sweat and bad perfume. Nice chatting with ya," He said, shooting me a look I couldn't interpret before shuffling out of the cafeteria. The second he was gone I was attacked.

"CLAIRE MICHELLE YOUNG! What was that?" Kallia slapped my arm.

"What was what?" I asked, playing dumb.

"I haven't felt that much tension between two people since my mom ran into my father's baby mamma at Barnes and Noble!"

"When did that happen?"

"Don't try and change the subject on me, Missy," Kallia warned, suddenly all business.

"There was like, a _ton _of tension," Melissa nodded.

"Once you spoke to him he didn't look away from you once. It was really weird… and intense." Brewer added.

"I just honestly don't like Mason," I shrugged. "I didn't mention I knew him because he is an ass hole and I prefer not to associate with him."

That was a lie. Of course it was a lie. Regular Claire would have sat with Mason at lunch and asked him about his mom and family all hour long, smiling and being nothing but polite. But this wasn't regular Claire. This was "Trusting Quil's judgment even if you don't agree because Quil has never steered you wrong before" Claire. I told Quil I would have nothing to do with Mason… so I wouldn't.

I'd seen Mason be a jerk before. He mocked Embry about Lilly, he followed me to Port Angeles, hell, just a few days ago he hurt Quil! But I'd also seen the good in him. I'd seen the warm glow in his eyes when he talked about his mother and grandmother. The first night I met him, he truly seemed concerned about why I was crying and he didn't even know who I was. He'd saved Quil's life before, on the day of the battle.

The question ate away at me like an acid, leaving my insides raw and burnt. There were two very opposite sides of Mason… _But which is the real one? _

I honestly didn't know.

**Quick shout-out to Gaby and Jaylyn for being wonderful and inspiring the characters of Gaby and Jasmine. You two rock!**


	36. The Never Ending Nightmare

Have you ever thought you were going to have a horrible day, and then it turned out to be amazing?

This was not one of those days…

In theory, my day should have gotten better when I walked into fourth hour and found out that my teacher was Ms. Baker—the same woman who was my freshman algebra teacher and one of the coolest teachers in school—but I just couldn't stop thinking about lunch.

With so much shit going on at home, the last thing I needed was drama at school, too. And when Mason was around, drama was guaranteed. _I mean, who does he think he is, marching into school and having the nerve to talk to me?_

What exactly was he trying to accomplish? Was he trying to charm the pants off of every female in the school? Was he trying to get close to me? Was he trying to piss me off? (Because if so, it was certainly working.) Not to stereotype, but I highly doubted that Mason returned to school to finish his studies.

The bell rang and Ms. Baker shuffled over to the door and closed it, turning to the class with bright eyes and introducing herself to the students who'd never had her. She spotted me from my spot in the back of the room and sent me a brief smile. I may have hated school deeply, but I was great in Algebra and Ms. Baker loved me. I smiled back pleasantly.

The smile shattered when the classroom door—which had moments before been shut—flung back open.

"Sorry I'm late, I got lost," drawled a lazy, somewhat arrogant voice. I knew the voice instantly, without even needing to look at him. I peeked anyway, hoping that somehow I was wrong and it wasn't really him.

But it was.

"What's your name, young man?" Ms. Baker asked, scooping up a clipboard from her desk.

"Mason Ateara," Mason responded, sounding somewhat distracted as he clocked the room. I put my head down and wondered how low in my chair I'd need to sink to disappear completely.

"Late on the first day of school," she tsked. "Let's not make a habit of this, Mr. Ateara."

"Sorry, I'm new, still trying to find my way around," He said, flashing a half smile that all of the girls in class must have found charming because the females of the room broke into small high-pitched giggles.I rolled my eyes.

"Well, pleased to meet you. Now that we've managed to waste thirty seconds, how about you take a seat. There's one open in the back by Claire," She said, pointing a bony finger in my direction. A small, somewhat mischievous smile crept on to Mason's face as he finally noticed me hiding out in my little corner. I refused to meet his eyes. I couldn't. Not again.

"Sure, I'll do that," Mason replied to Ms. Barker, walking casually down the aisle to the very back of the room and plopping down in the chair next to mine. It _would _be the only available seat in the room. Just my fucking luck. _Fuck._

"Hi, you must be Claire, I'm Mason," his tone voice was formal, but his lips were curled in his signature lady-killer smirk. (He could unleash that on me a million times and it would never do a thing.) I didn't acknowledge him in the slightest, turning all of my attention to Ms. Baker in the front of the room. My honest intention was to just try and ignore him and find a new seat tomorrow.

"Silent treatment, hmm? What did I do to deserve that?" He breathed haughtily, settling into his chair as Ms. Baker continued to talk about the curriculum and class procedures. Mason didn't try to talk to me again.

After maybe eight minutes, Mr. Bright, the geometry teacher from across the hall, let himself into the room. "Debbie, you speak Quileute right?" He asked Ms. Baker with a slight urgency.

"Somewhat, why?" She raised an eyebrow, placing her clipboard on her desk.

"My student Ren Jordan just passed out and her grandmother doesn't speak English. Nurse Frazier doesn't know a word of Quileute and either do I." Mr. Bright was great in math, but was about the least cultured old white man I had ever met.

Ms. Baker bit her lip and turned her attention back to the class. "I'll be back in a few minutes," She announced. "Take this time to get to know your neighbor." She left abruptly.

The second the door shut behind her and Mr. Bright, the room filled with the voices of students. Mason rotated in his seat to face me, "What's up, neighbor?" He asked.

I opened the notebook I had on my desk and began to draw, pretending not to hear him. Mason leaned over my notebook, shading my page from the fluorescent light. "What are you drawing?"

I didn't say anything. _Just keep drawing._ He huffed and went back to sitting straight,

"A flower, really? Creative." Silence on my end.

"What? No retaliation? I just dissed your drawing."

"If you're looking for a fight, keep talking to me and you'll find one when you get home," I hissed after a moment.

"She speaks," he mused, more to himself than me. "By the way, that place is not my home."

"Please stop talking," I requested.

"I don't get you, Claire. You act like you hate me, then say you don't hate me. And now you're back to hating me."

I wanted to tell him that I didn't hate him, but that would mean more talking, and I didn't want to lead him on in any way at all. In Mason's mind, "I don't hate you" probably translated into "Let's fuck."

But just because I was supposed to ignore him didn't mean I needed to be nasty about it. "I'm indifferent," I mumbled.

"Indifferent isn't the word I'd use. More like bipolar," Mason speculated. I shrugged, not tearing my eyes away from the field of roses that was growing on my notebook page.

"Indifferent people don't offer other places to live and sucker their creepy boyfriends into agreeing."

I whipped my head up and glared at him.

"Oh, sorry. I meant totally non-creepy boyfriend," Mason corrected, seeming pleased to have finally gotten me to look at him.

"I'm glaring because you won't stop talking," I said through my teeth.

"Did Quil talk to you?" He asked seriously.

I looked back down at my paper.

"Bastard," he mumbled under his breath. "Do you always do what he says, Claire?" He asked, bringing his voice back to a normal volume.

I began a new flower patch, branching out of the top left corner of the page, this one consisting of daisies and other related flowers.

"Does he chew your food for you, too?" Mason asked harshly.

I bit my tongue, containing my response.

"I'm really not a bad guy, Claire. Quil is a territorial fool who doesn't like me and therefore thinks you can't like me, either." His voice was softer this time, maybe genuine, but that hardly mattered. I was done talking. Talking to Mason was _not_ worth another fight with Quil.

"If you decide I'm not someone you want to associate, then fine. But come to that decision on your own." I was reminded of what seemed like a lifetime ago, when I was with Joy in Port Angeles. How Mason showed up and took me away to talk to me, begging me to give him a chance. To get to know him instead of wearing _"Quil prescription glasses." _

But how could I? I'd established a long time ago that I couldn't ever like someone that disliked Quil. And Quil had made it clear that fraternizing with Mason was forbidden. And despite the softer side I sometimes saw, Mason was a jerk. I hated jerks with a passion.

_Three strikes, you're out._

"I have," I told him.

"No, you really haven't."

"Don't presume to tell me what is and is not going on in my head. You don't know me."

"That sounds a lot like a line from Titanic," Mason noted.

"Off topic," I snapped, surprised he even noticed.

"Okay, then let's get on topic."

"Let's just stop talking," I told him, letting my hair fall over my shoulder and create a black curtain between us. Within seconds the curtain of hair was swept back over my shoulder, Mason's hands brushing across my cheek in the process. I smacked it away. _Hard. _

Mason opened his mouth, and I honestly had no idea _what _he intended to say to that. I never did find out, though, because Ms. Baker reentered the room at that moment.

When she called the class back to attention, my entire body relaxed. I didn't look or talk to Mason for the rest of class.

The ringing of the bell finally ended my agony thirty minutes later. (Thank God the first day of school was a shortened schedule, an entire hour next to Mason would have been too much to handle.) I jumped up from my seat instantly, scooping up my notebook and reaching the door before the bell had even finished sounding off.

I had made it maybe two feet from the door when an unnaturally hot hand came down on my shoulder. "Leave me alone, Mason," I ordered through my teeth, not needing to guess whose hand it was. Even without the extreme heat I would have known. He dropped his hand immediately.

"God, by the way you act around me, you'd think I have the plague or something," Mason commented, coming to walk beside me. "Most females find my company delightful."

"Then go 'delight them,'" I suggested, slipping in between students in the hall in an attempt to separate myself from Mason. He was unshakeable though, following on my trail like a police dog.

"Maybe I will," he huffed, melting into the throng of students.

My next class was health/gym, a requirement for all Quileute Valley juniors. The class consisted of two classroom health days and three exercise gym days a week. Although I was relieved that I only had two more classes until I could leave this place and go see Quil, I was _not _looking forward to forty minutes of hearing the new coach drone on and on about how much fun gym is.

_There is nothing fun about being hit in the face with a football, soccer ball, basketball, baseball, volleyball, tennis racket, hockey stick, or baseball bat. _

Trust me… I would know.

I remembered what Melissa said earlier in the morning, about Coach Huffman's replacement apparently being younger and sexier. This seemed humorous to me, considering Melissa once had a thing for Mr. Graham, the forty year old school counselor. I located the health room, which sat right across the hall from the gym. When I walked into the classroom, however, no teacher was in there. Just a few students getting seated.

"Hey Claire," Daniel Lermon greeted, meeting me at the door with a big smile on his face. Like most students in school, I didn't like Dan. He was a little too touchy-feely for my taste.

"Hi," I said, stepping around him.

"I just wanted to let you know that if you're looking to practice safe sex with anyone, I have some condoms in my car." His friends, who were obviously listening in, snickered and punched each other.

_Idiots. _

"I'll pass," I told him, trying not to gag.

"You'll be back," He shrugged before going to sit by Taylor Albright, the sluttiest sixteen year old I had ever met.

_Great, my health class is with the school pervert _and _the school slut. _

"Funny running into you here," a smooth chuckle sounded out to my left.

_DAMMIT! _

"I'm not laughing," I snapped, taking a seat and trying to ignore him. _What _was Mason doing in this class? There were tons of other classes going on right now! Why did he _have _to be in fifth hour health/gym?

"It's an expression, Claire. Lighten up," he grinned, plopping down in the chair at the desk beside mine. Rather than retaliate, I opened my notebook up and went back to drawing. My notebook page was now an entire field of at least seven types of flowers.

The bell rang shortly after, accompanied by the sound of scurrying feet rushing to get into class before they got in trouble. The sound of our classroom's door closing caused silence throughout the classroom as everyone turned their attention to the new teacher. Everyone but me.

"Umm, Claire," Mason whispered under his breath, nudging my arm slightly.

"Not now, Mason," I hissed quietly, not glancing up from my page.

"I really think—" He never got to finish.

"Hi, I'm your new teacher, call me Coach Lahote, if any of you babies calls me sir or Mr. you'll get your ass kicked, understand?"

My head whipped up at a painful speed.

_No way… _I wasn't hearing things.

My new gym coach was Paul.

_PAUL! _

How could I not have known about this? I'd just seen Paul on Saturday and he hadn't said a word! As far as I knew Paul was still working as a personal trainer in Forks! When did Paul even _get_ a degree to teach? Paul and teenagers were not a safe combination! Not with his, ah, _temper_…

How could _Paul _be the sexy new gym coach? I mean, I understand the whole sexy thing, but how could Paul be my teacher? This was crazy._ Fucking_ crazy.

_What is today? Some king of never ending nightmare?_

When no one said anything, Paul nodded to himself, seemingly pleased. "I'm going to take attendance, if any of you try and be cute and not say "here" you will be counted absent. And don't say 'present' or something formal like that. It bothers me."

He still hadn't looked in my direction. But as he scanned the clipboard briefly, I saw his mouth quirk into a small smirk. Paul's eyes panned across the room and he located me immediately. He winked, but then his eyes shifted over to Mason, who was beside me, and Paul's smirk evaporated.

"Taylor Albright," Paul said flatly, looking at his roll-call sheet off the list.

"Over here Coach Lahote," Taylor announced, smiling widely at Paul. _Gag. _If only she knew Paul was happily married with children. Paul just nodded, continuing to read down his list.

"Mason Ateara," Paul called crankily.

"Here," Mason waved slightly. Some of the girls in the class turned to look at him and giggled. They all glared at me. _Girls are crazy jealous bitches, _I noted.

"Mhmm," Paul nodded, looking over Mason like one may look at a dog who had just been caught peeing on the curtains. Mason met his glare without any hesitation, and Paul rolled his eyes before going back to the list.

"Jannah Barnes."

"Here."

"Kyle Donnigan."

"Here."

The list continued until he finally hit me, the last name on the sheet. "Claire Young."

"Here," I mumbled.

"What's that? You'll have to speak up."

"Here," I snapped, louder this time. Paul smiled in satisfaction.

"So anyway," he said, "Like I told you before, I'm Coach Lahote. Welcome to gym and health class, if you have a tendency to be lazy please let me know so I can fail you now. I don't have time to deal with a bunch of weak and whiny teenagers."

"Isn't that your job?" Taylor asked.

"No, my job is to teach you things that you should already know and make you run around a field."

Taylor batted her eyelashes, "I can't run… I have a condition."

"Unless that condition is HIV, you'll be running."

A few kids snickered. Taylor huffed.

"Before we ask any more stupid questions, I'm going to go over some class rules. The first rule of health class is—"

"Don't talk about health class?" Daniel guessed. This time most of the class broke out into a fit of giggles.

"_No interrupting the teacher,_" Paul finished harshly, enunciating every syllable.

"Second rule," Paul continued in his naturally loud voice, "As your coach and teacher, I have total power of the class and my word is final. When I say jump, you ask how high."

Groans of complaint sounded throughout the room.

"Third rule," Paul said, ignoring the sounds of protest, "Complainers can complain all they want in after school detention, which I will hold myself."

"Any more rules, _Coach_?" Mason asked in a mocking tone.

"No trying to be a cute little smart-ass in my class. None of you are half as cute and funny as you think you are. Do the work, do it silently, do it effectively. Understood?"

Mason saluted, an arrogant smile resting on his face.

"This class is not going to be anyone's favorite class. I am probably not going to be anyone's favorite teacher. But if you don't annoy me I'm sure we'll get along splendidly," Paul informed the class. "And one more thing, in my class, you only have one chance to make a first impression, sorry if you've already blown it."

"I think I blew it long ago," Mason chuckled to himself, so low that I'm sure I was the only one who could hear.

When the bell rang, Paul told us to get our gym clothes by Wednesday, and then dismissed us. I waited for all of the students to trickle out—including Mason—before walking up to Paul's desk.

"Hello, Ms. Young."

"Cut the crap, Paul," I told him.

He smiled. "Are you having a nice day?"

"What are you _doing_ here?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Teaching. The school offered me the job over the summer, they think I'm the guy to turn your school' atrocious basketball team around."

"What about your old job?" I questioned. Paul just shrugged.

"This one's better. Summers off, okay salary, and I get to keep an eye on you. Glad I had the foresight to do so, because it seems to me like you need it," Paul noted, nodding his head in the direction of the seat where Mason had been just a minute before.

"I honestly had no idea he was going to be here. Quil told me not to talk to him. At all."

"Which is why you were sitting next to him…" Paul nodded, accusation in his eyes.

"Look, I've been trying to shake him all day, I can't."

"That awkward moment when your thirty year old boyfriend has to compete for your attention with a teenage douche bag," Paul chuckled.

I rolled my eyes dramatically. "No competition."

"Whatever you say," Paul shrugged.

"Do the guys know about your new… occupation?" I asked.

"By guys I'm assuming you mean your boyfriend. No. He would have told you, and things like this are _much _funnier when they are a surprise. Jared knew, though. And Rachel and Kim of course."

"Next time, Paul, maybe a little warning. I've been surprised enough today."

"Excuse me, but while we are in school I am Coach Lahote," Paul corrected.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes, turning and exiting the room.

I was relieved that my last class of the day was Art History. A class that Mason surely wouldn't have chosen. A class that of course Kallia had.

She was already in the room when I arrived, her colorful checkered backpack in the seat beside her. When Kallia saw me, she smiled widely and hoisted the backpack out of the seat, tapping it gingerly. I returned her smile and sat.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hey there. How ya been?"

"Awful," I laughed with little humor.

"Why is everything always awful and gloomy with you?" She questioned, half conversational, half concerned.

"I know it seems that way. It's really not. School just does this to me," I explained. _Among other things… _I added silently.

"I'd like to see this positive Claire one day," Kallia smirked.

"Well then maybe I'll show you… one day," I let her know. She rolled her eyes and giggled.

"I may be kind of strange, but you are utterly indecipherable," she confessed.

"Hey now, just because we're in an AP class doesn't mean you can use such fancy words."

"Sue me," She said in a loud, over-dramatic voice, causing several students to turn and look at us.

"Maybe I will."

We both laughed together as the bell rang.

Mr. O'Riley (who strangely enough, was _not _Irish) called the class to order. He was young for an AP teacher, and had been teaching here as long as I'd been in high school. I'd never spoken to him, or even heard his speak, but now noticed that his voice could not be described by a sound, but more a texture. His voice was smooth as cream, soothing and silky. He had this way of speaking that captivated every student's attention, even mine.

Well, _almost _everyone. I don't think Kallia heard a word he was saying. If bombs were to rain down on the school at that moment, I doubt she'd even blink. Kallia had this way of zoning out, where one moment she was there and the next her mind was dimensions away. Once she was gone, nothing could bring her back. Not the firm voice of a teacher, the ringing of a school bell, or someone waving a hand in front of her eyes. This was why, when the final bell rang, Kallia had not moved at all, and I had to resort to shaking her violently to bring her back to reality.

I saw the moment life reentered her eyes. She blinked several times and then looked up at me. "Class is over, isn't it?" She asked. I nodded.

"Gosh, why do I always do that?" Kallia shook her head in spite of herself and stood, scooping up her backpack and cradling it in her arms.

"Because you're you," I told her with a smile.

"That I am," she sounded pleased. "See you tomorrow, Claire."

"See ya."

Thankfully, the storm had stopped by the time I left the building, because a twenty minute walk through the rain was the last thing I needed.

What I _really _needed was some time to myself. Time to de-stress and figure out how I was going to explain everything to Quil. Quiet time.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you were following me," a low, haughty voice breathed in my ear.

"Don't you think rather highly of yourself," I noted, walking faster and not looking back.

"Well… yes. But that's not the point. Don't you live in northern La Push now? You're heading west, just so you know." Mason tried to keep pace with me, his form moving just in and out of my peripheral vision.

"I _do_ know," I replied, my voice eerily calm. "I'm not going there, I'm going to Quil's, and if you're smart you'll steer clear of there for a while, because something tells me Quil will _not _be happy to see you," I was practically jogging now, but the boy was persistent.

"Is he ever?" Mason laughed bitterly.

I stopped walking suddenly, causing Mason to crash into me. I barely noticed. "I'm only going to say this one more time," I told him through my teeth. "Stay. Away. From. Me."

"There, you said it. I'm not going to listen though," Mason informed me.

"You should," I threatened, still not turning to face him. I stood there a moment in utter stillness, then continued down the sidewalk.

He followed behind me, and eventually I realized I couldn't outrun him and slowed down to a normal walking pace. He came up beside me… I averted my eyes.

"I heard what you said to Paul… after class," Mason admitted after a minute or two.

"You were listening," I said blankly.

"Naturally," he replied. Another beat of silence. "I got to admit… that was a bitch move, even for the princess himself." I glowered at him.

"Why do you make this so hard on yourself?" I asked as we turned onto a residential road. "I don't get it."

"The world is a confusing place, Claire. I don't get why a strong, independent girl like you is letting a pathetic excuse for a man dominate your life."

"Go to Hell," I spat. Mason's footsteps cut off immediately, and he let out a small, painful sound.

Without thinking, I turned to look at him for the first time since getting out of school. He looked distraught, but not by my words. All of his attention on the house in front of us. Mason's face was contorted into a mix of so many emotions I couldn't read them all, longing, remorse, sadness, self-loathing, anger…

"Mason?" I asked, suddenly concerned even though seconds ago I had wished damnation upon him.

He didn't react, or tear his eyes away from the little cream colored house. It looked like most houses in La Push… small… peeling paint… in need of some TLC. _Why is he so transfixed with it? _I wondered.

Then I realized.

It wasn't the house at all.

It was who lived there…

"Is that—?"

"My mom's house," Mason confirmed softly.

I stepped towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder, mentally chiding myself as I did. "Come on," I muttered, "Let's go. Don't torture yourself."

Mason turned slightly to me, "Let me guess, that's Quil's job, right?" He gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. The corners of my mouth turned down before I let my hand fall. _Why does he have to say things like that?_ Whether or not he deserved it, I didn't _want _Quil to resort to violence. I didn't want him to solve things by attacking Mason. Because that wasn't who Quil _really _was. Mason just pushed his buttons.

"Quil isn't the bad guy," I murmured.

"I know, I know, _I _am."

"You aren't either, Mason… you may not be very nice, but that doesn't make you evil."

Mason shrugged and then motioned his arm in front of him as if to say "Lead the way." I started down the sidewalk again and after a second heard Mason's light footfalls behind me. It was eerie how quietly the wolves moved.

"Your mother is going to forgive you, you know," I informed him after a minute.

"Oh really? You say this because you know her _so_ well, right?" He asked dryly.

"I say it because no parent can be mad at their kid forever, they love you unconditionally. She's just… hurt."

"You don't even know, Claire. And don't feed me shit about how family has to love each other. Do you love your dad? I certainly didn't love mine."

"That man hasn't been my father for eleven years, I barely remember the time when I _did _love him."

"Well, let me tell you, I _never _loved my father. When I was a kid he—" Mason dropped off mid-sentence. "Never mind. The point is, you don't _have _to love your family, and my mother is done with me. End of discussion." He tried to sound casual about it, but I saw right through it. There was a raw pain in his voice that he couldn't totally conceal. No one loved someone as much as he loved his mother one day and was indifferent the next. Someone who didn't care would not have stopped in front of that house and stared at it like a starved man stares at a loaf of bread. But I didn't say anything.

"Mason, can I ask you something?"

"I thought you weren't aloud to talk to me?" He recalled, bitterness in his voice.

"I just want to know what you're doing at Quileute Valley," I said, ignoring him _and_ my orders from Quil.

"Getting my education," Mason stated. I raised an eyebrow, still waiting for his answer.

"My mom already enrolled me, and Jake wants us to do stuff other than hang around all day when we aren't patrolling," Mason tried again.

"That sounds rather… responsible." I commented, still suspicious.

"If I told you the truth… you'd just get mad at me again."

"I never stopped being mad at you," I informed him calmly.

"Well, in that case, I uh… wanted to get to know you better."

I though that I'd wanted to hear the truth… but after the words came out of his mouth I instantly regretted forcing it out of him. Sometimes it's better to just believe the lies.

"See, now you're upset and you're not going to speak to me ever again," Mason huffed.

"I'm not supposed to be speaking to you at all," I said under my breath.

"Then why do you keep doing it?" Mason pressed.

"I don't know," I admitted quietly, walking faster and refusing to look at him.

"So your dad isn't going to be suspicious when you don't come home from school?"

"I texted him during sixth hour and told him I'm babysitting Amelia. He'll never know the difference."

Mason didn't immediately respond, and the silence was pleasant. "So is lying something you do often?" He finally asked. _How long was he pondering _that _question?_

"That's none of your business," I told him matter-of-factly. "Nothing I do is any of your business."

"I was just curious," Mason replied in a mildly defensive manner.

"Yeah? Well you know what they say… curiosity killed the dog."

"Cat," Mason corrected.

I looked him up and down once, "No," I replied flatly. "I meant dog."

We continued walking, turning onto a very familiar street. Quil's house was just at the end of it. Even though I knew he wasn't home yet, my stomach twisted in apprehension. Quil was _not_ going to be happy when he found out about Mason.

"Threatening my life? How… feisty."

"Don't call me feisty," I snapped. "I am not feisty."

"Oh, but you are," Mason stated. "Very much so."

"This is the second time in a minute you've tried to correct me. I don't like people correcting me," I informed him.

"You're like a cute little kitty who looks all sweet but has razor sharp claws that she uses to claw out people's eyes."

I glared at him, eyes narrowed. "Down, kitty," Mason smirked.

"You're a real pain in the ass, do you know that?" I said.

"I've been told," he shrugged. "And I've been called a lot worse." We were almost at the house now, just passing by Quil's neighbor's.

"You're going to be called dead if you don't leave me alone by the time Quil gets here," I told him.

"You're right about that," came a heart-wrenchingly familiar voice from the front porch. I froze, whipping my head towards little porch railing by Quil's front door. I hadn't even noticed him before, and by the look on Mason's face, either had he.

"Quil," I exclaimed, smiling even though my insides were screaming. _Oh shit._

_Quil_

Nothing ruins your day like finding your girlfriend with your enemy. I was an idiot. A complete fool for believing she would actually listed to my begging and stay away from him. She was too kind and wonderful for her own good!

"Quil," Claire gave a small gasp. "You're… uh, home early."

Was that supposed to make this okay? She thought she could talk to Mason if I wasn't around? I had been leaning against the wall by the door before, but as I spoke I got up and went to the porch railing, clutching it tightly to maintain composure.

"I just got home a few minutes ago… I was going to text you, but wanted to surprise you. I guess we're both surprised now," I swallowed my bitterness. As much as I wanted to look at Claire, I was sure if I did I'd lose it, so I instead focused my eyes on Mason, glaring at him relentlessly.

"About that… can we talk?" She asked softly, her voice slightly uneven. She sounded very nervous, which I took as a bad sign. People that were nervous often had something to be guilty about…

_Stop that, Quil! _I ordered myself, _you trust Claire! You trust her with all of your heart._

"Of course, love. Go wait inside, I'll be there in a minute."

"Don't do it Claire. He doesn't want to look like a bad guy in front of you. You go inside and he's going to kill me," Mason warned.

"Go inside, Claire," I repeated, gripping the porch railing tighter as I felt my control slipping away.

"Don't move, Claire. Let him show you what an ass hole he is."

"You shut the fuck up and don't tell my girlfriend what to do!" I growled, the railing breaking under the pressure of my hand. I let the chunk of wood that came off in my hand fall. The railing was old anyways.

"Why not? You do," Mason said evenly. I had to get Claire out of the way before things got ugly. I could feel myself losing it.

"Inside Claire, _please_," I was desperate now, the shaking starting to course through my body. I could feel myself preparing to phase and destroy the demonic creature that was Mason. Of course Claire didn't move. She was the most stubborn person I had ever known.

"Quil, it's not what you think," Claire said.

"Unless _he_ was walking you home because you were being followed by a pack of starving wild vampires, I don't want to hear it," I said through his teeth.

"Walking her home?" Mason scoffed. "Last time I checked _I _was the one who lived here. Not her."

_If it were up to me, _I thought,_ you wouldn't be living at all... _

"Don't speak," I spat. "If you value your life, don't speak."

"Let's say I don't," Mason cocked his head to the side. "What do you intend to do about it? With Claire standing right here…" I knew a challenge when I saw one.

"Mason," Claire whispered in warning. "Don't."

"And besides," Mason added, "I wasn't walking her here. I was walking myself here from school and she was going the same direction."

I raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what he meant, "Why were you at the high school?"

"Probably because I'm a student, idiot," Mason rolled his eyes. It took a moment of silence for the full impact of what he said to sink in. Mason was attending school, with _my _Claire. (Mason + MY Claire = I DON'T FUCKING THINK SO.)

Within a second, I was off of the porch and directly in front of Mason, my hands squeezing down on his throat. I was going to choke the life out of him.

"Quil!" Claire wailed.

I jumped back immediately, remembering suddenly that Claire was just a few feet away, and I was choking a teenage boy in the front yard in broad daylight. Mason took an exaggerated gasp, _as if _my hands had been clutching his throat for more than three seconds. I turned to Claire, feeling partly ashamed, but still mostly enraged.

"Don't you ever touch me again, Chester," Mason snarled. I prepared to smack him, remembered Claire, and let my hand fall.

"Speak again and you're out of here, I don't care what Jake says."

"Quil, please just let me explain," Claire said softly. I nodded, exhaling slowly in an attempt to get calm.

But to be honest, I couldn't look at Claire right now. I was too angry. Angry at Mason for going behind my back and weaseling into Claire's life, angry at Claire for not being angry at Mason, and angry at myself for being violent in front of Claire, something I never wanted to do again. After her watching me rip apart vampires last month, my biggest nightmare was that she would grow to fear me.

I couldn't face her right now, I just couldn't. I needed time to think… clear my head. I needed to go for a run.

"Quil?" Claire stepped forward, looking worried.

"Leave your window open tonight, we'll talk then, okay?" I didn't look at her, I couldn't. The shame I felt for myself was too great.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She asked, maybe sounding a little hurt, though I wasn't sure why.

"Why don't you call Emily to come get you?" I suggested. Then I turned to Mason, "And you go inside. Embry will be home in a minute." Under my breath I added "and if you leave the house before I get back he'll have your head."

Mason smirked cruelly at me and then walked inside without a word. Claire stepped closer to me and the temptation to look at her got the best of me. She looked upset.

"I know you're mad at me, but I guess I'm a little mad at you, too," she whispered, glancing at her feet.

"See you tonight," I said, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead heading to the trees, by the time I reached them, I was sprinting as fast as I could.

**Author's Note: WOW! It's been a whole month since I updated. I am SOOOO sorry about the wait. This chapter was really long and I've been distracted with re-reading The Mortal Instruments series (a must read. Best books ever). Anyway, pleeeease review. Anyone who had discovered this story recently, welcome (: Don't forget that you can like Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two on Facebook! Pictures of the main seven characters, Eliza and Lilly's high school friends, and I think Nahuel too. Love you all. Again, REVIEW.**


	37. When Vampires Attack

**Author's Note: I am 50 Shades of Sorry right now! (And no, I am not reading that shit book, just felt like saying that… LOL) I know it has been forever since I updated and I feel HORRIBLE. Since I've last updated I had a school play and my end of the year finals and I was taking an additional class every evening. I can't apologize enough for this long wait, I can only hope that this chapter was worth it :) So, that being said, ENJOY! Also be sure to review!**

_Claire _

I felt sick the rest of the afternoon. So sick that my father actually believed I was coming down with the flu and asked what was wrong. I didn't want to talk to him, and he would never understand anyway, so I said it was "that time of the month" and he didn't pester me about it again.

_Plus side of being a girl, cramps is an excuse for everything, _I thought dryly.

Eliza knew the truth, though, in that little way she always does. The smirk she flashes at you when she meets your eyes at the dinner table, the way she speaks to you when encountering you in the hall. The glint in her eyes.

Sometimes I think she really does know everything. That the secrets of the universe are all locked up in her brain, hidden under those pale blonde curls.

However, as fascinating as they were, the all-knowing powers of my sister was the last thing on my mind. Truthfully, everything that wasn't Quil was the last thing on my mind.

Quil and I were actually fighting. _Us. Fighting._

Funny how when one thing goes downhill, everything else comes tumbling after it. My father takes over my life, my time with Quil is cut down to approximately zero hours a day, I am forced to go back to school, and now the cherry on top of the cake. Quil was mad at me. And perhaps even scarier, I was mad at him, too.

My stomach was in knots. It was nearly eleven o'clock. What time exactly did Quil plan on coming?

_Leave your window open tonight, we'll talk then, okay? _He had said. Like _that _was specific. The second the muted light of the cloudy day shifted into dusk, I had thrown my windows open as wide as they could go and essentially paced in circles. Around eight I tired of pacing and retreated to my bed, sitting on top of the comforter and cradling my knees against my chest, trying not to freak out.

But by ten-fifty, the strain of the long day was beginning to catch up with me, and my eyes yearned for sleep. My mind wouldn't allow it though. They stayed glued to the windows cornering my room. As the clock ticked, and eleven turned to twelve, I swallowed a painful lump of tears in my throat and faced the fact that Quil wasn't going to come. He clearly didn't want to see me. Without even getting up to brush my teeth or close my windows, I kicked off my jeans and curled up miserably into bed.

_Quil_

The run lasted a little longer than I expected.

Okay, _a lot _longer.

Somehow, my short run to clear my head had turned into an eleven hour trip to the eastern border of the state and back. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning by the time I returned.

I cursed myself mentally for taking so long. Claire was probably asleep by now, and she probably felt pretty hurt that I never talked to her like I promised. I jogged up to her house in wolf form and spied at her windows from my hiding place in the trees. Claire's room was situated ideally on the very corner of the house, with windows on two out of the four walls of her room. The light of a single lamp shone through the four open windows of her bedroom. I'd already hurt her enough, the least I could do was close her windows and turn off her lamp. I didn't want my poor baby getting sick.

The nearest thick branch to her window was a good fifteen feet away, but I was able to make the jump, only causing a light thud as my body made impact with the house. Silently, I crawled in through the window. She was in her bed, asleep, just like I had assumed, but she didn't wear the serene expression that she usually had while she slept. She looked stressed, jaw tight, corners of her mouth angled down. I worried briefly that she was having a nightmare.

The sad truth was, I was actually relieved that Claire was asleep. I didn't know if I could face her quite yet. What was I supposed to say? _Sorry that I choked the douche bag I told you not to talk to? _Too bad I wasn't sorry, not one bit.

No, it was more like, _I'm sorry you had to see . . . _

A sick feeling came over me suddenly as I watched my love's fitful sleep. What if her nightmare was about _me_?

_Don't think like that, Quil. _I scolded. _Don't torture yourself like that. _

I shook my head briefly before going to the lamp on the dresser across from her bed and clicking it off. The only light in the room now was the glowing red numbers of her alarm clock, but I could still see every detail of the room with absolute clarity. I was prepared to just climb right back out of her window with a promise to myself to call her tomorrow, but I couldn't let myself go. Not without touching her once. I went back to her bed, kneeling beside it quietly. Then, oh so softly, I brushed a few strands of hair off of my Claire's face and tucked them behind her ears.

I thought the touch would be too soft for her to feel, but her eyes practically shot open. "Quil?" She asked in a sleepy daze, momentarily puzzled by my presence. Then, her eyes flickered to the alarm clock by her bed and she spoke again, clearer this time. "Quil, it's three o'clock in the morning."

"Sorry I woke you, go back to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"No," Claire protested, not a hint of grogginess in her voice. "Stay." Her eyes were open and alert.

I sighed, unable to deny her.

_Here goes nothing . . . _

_Claire_

The intense tugging in my gut caused me to shoot awake. It was the familiar pull that I always felt when Quil was near. And this time wasn't an exception. He was just inches away from me, kneeling beside my bed with his fingers dancing lightly across my temple.

"Quil?" I asked, not quite sure if I was awake or dreaming. After a second, when he didn't evaporate, I assumed the latter was false, and he was really in my room. Quil looked startled for a brief second and then brought his hand back to his side.

My eyes were drawn to the only light in the room, the alarm clock beside the bed. As I glanced at it, the number switched to three o'clock am on the dot. "Quil, it's three o'clock in the morning," I informed him, as if by some chance he wasn't aware.

"Sorry I woke you, go back to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"No," I practically shouted, my eyes opening widely. Any drowsiness in my system disappeared. Quil was _not _leaving before we talked. I couldn't sleep soundly until we did. "Stay," I told him.

He considered it briefly, and then sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Okay," he relented, "I'll stay."

I sat up, but he stayed crouched. Looking down on him, he seemed nervous, and maybe a little annoyed.

"Unless you want to leave?" The words hurt coming out of my mouth, but I stared at him blankly, masking the pain.

He shook his head and extended to full kneeling height, rather than crouching. This made him nearly the same height as me. "I want to stay."

"When you said 'leave your window open' maybe you should have added 'don't wait up, because I won't be showing up until an ungodly hour,'" I said irritably.

"I didn't mean to come this late, were you waiting up for me?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to not cry. The day was too much of a rollercoaster and the earlier sadness of waiting for Quil still lingered in my bones. What I really needed was for him to hold me, but right when I was about to ask, I remembered what else he'd done with his hands earlier, and got mad at him all over again.

"I didn't mean to be so late, baby. I was just running and I lost track of time," he shared, placing a hand on my thigh through the blanket. Without thinking, the muscle contracted briefly in surprise and Quil jerked his hand away, looking as if I'd hit him.

"Quil?" I asked concernedly.

"I, uh—didn't mean to scare you. Sorry. I shouldn't have touched you."

"You touched my leg, Quil. How would that scare me? I was just surprised, nothing earth-shattering."

"Never mind," he shook his head. His face betrayed his words.

"What's going on, Quil?" I swung my legs out of the bed and let them dangle over the side, bare and partially tangled in the sheets. When he didn't answer, I put a hand on his shoulder gently. "What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't touch me," he stated blankly.

"What?" His words were like a stab to the gut, I ripped my hand away as the tears tightened in my throat. _Damn it. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry._

"You don't need to try and be brave, Claire. It's natural to fear a monster."

"A _monster_?" That wasn't at all what I'd expected him to say. "Why are you suddenly a monster?"

Quil stood up, walking towards the windows and looking out of them, his back to me. "Don't you see?" He asked rhetorically, "I've always been one. I kill, I fight, I attack."

"You're a werewolf, it's part of your job."

"I don't just hurt vampires, though. I hurt people, too. You saw me choke Mason today, Claire. And I'm a monster because I'm not even sorry. If you weren't there, I wouldn't have stopped."

My breathing caught slightly. _No,_ I told myself, _he would have. He just thinks he has to be the bad guy right now. _

"That doesn't make you a monster, Quil. It makes you a territorial, over-protective, _jackass_ who doesn't trust his girlfriend," I said it as calmly as I could manage, but even to my own ear I sounded pretty pissed. And didn't I have a right to be? Yes, Quil was my soul mate and I loved him to death no matter what, but what I said was the truth.

"I may not be sorry for what I did, but I am sorry for why. I know I should have more faith in you, Claire, but I'm kind of in a tough situation here. You want me to trust you that you can handle yourself, and I want you to trust me that he's dirt and you shouldn't speak to him at all."

"Well, as an American citizen, I have a right to remain stubborn."

Quil turned back to me, a smirk on his face. In an attempt to look grown up and serious, I stood up and crossed my arms. This caused Quil to smirk a little more.

"Nice panties," he inclined his head at my dark pink silky underwear. I blushed, remembering my lack of pants. It's not like Quil hadn't seen me a lot more exposed, but this felt like a different situation.

"Don't change the subject," I snapped.

"Sorry," he smiled, scratching his head and sliding his eyes up and down my legs one last quick time before meeting my eyes. He looked tired, but I'm sure I looked just as bad.

"Look I love you, you must know that. But Quil, I'm practically a woman, I should be able to make some choices on my own. If I want to talk to Mason it should be up to me. You and I both know the main reason you don't want him around me is because you can't handle the fact that he maybe likes me. But Quil, in order for us to work, you need to believe that I'm not going anywhere."

"Baby, you don't know what he could be capable of and—"

"Either do you!" I snapped, walking right up to him and trying to get in his face. "You can't keep me in a cage for the rest of my life and growl at every boy who passes by in fear that they may look at me twice!"

Quil huffed. "But baby, this isn't any guy. This is a teenage werewolf who can barely control himself, he could phase around you and you could get hurt."

"I saw you today, Quil. His temper isn't the only one that's out of whack."

"I would never hurt you baby!" Quil said quickly. "I couldn't. It's not possible."

"You've called me baby like eight times in a row, Quil. Forget my name?"

"No, _Claire,_ I just… I don't know. I guess it's my way of saying that no matter what, you're still my baby and I love you."

"But I'm not a baby," I protested.

"I know," Quil breathed. "If you were, _this_—" he ran his hand from the small of my back, across my butt, and down my bare leg "would be highly inappropriate."

I shivered slightly, and then glared at him in defiance. "What? You think you can touch me once and all of my angriness will just melt away?" The part I wasn't able to admit was that, yes, he kind of could.

"No, of course not," Quil breathed, leaning in even closer to me so I could feel his hot breath on my face. "But maybe twice," he added with a mischievous smirk, bringing his lips to my jaw and sliding them down my neck to my collarbone.

"Stop that," I ordered in a shaky voice. "You can't just do that to get your way. I'm still pissed at you. Majorly."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled into my skin. I forced his head away from the crook of my neck and made him look me in the eyes. "I'm tired of fighting."

"Mean it this time."

"I'm sorry," he repeated sincerely.

"For?"

"Upsetting you and not trusting you."

"And?"

"I'm not apologizing for Mason, I told you that. I'm just sorry I did it in front of you."

I frowned at him. "Well I'm sorry for being unwilling to compromise. I'm not going to treat Mason like a piece of furniture and ignore him completely. That's pretty hard considering we have two classes together. I don't need to be nice, but I'm going to be civil."

"No," Quil protested. "Are you sure you don't just want to switch schools? Please," he begged.

I shook my head. "I don't want to fight with you either, Quil. I really don't. I love you and I miss being with you, so please don't let this come between us."

Quil didn't say anything, just stroked my hair gently. "I promise I'll let you know if he ever makes me feel uncomfortable, and then you have permission to kick his ass. But don't make someone do time for a crime that hasn't even been committed yet."

"_Yet._"

"Quil—" My next argument was silenced by the enthusiastic, almost violent collision of Quil's lips and mine. Every possible thing I had to say was washed away by the tide of Quil. It wasn't a kiss of lust or passion, but rather a kiss of pure need. Desperate lips mashing together, tongues tasting as if they never would again, hands knotted in each other's hair as if holding on for dear life. It was not a kiss like sex, but a kiss like breathing, a basic need, not a desire. The power of the imprint had stepped in and taken control, and who were we to deny it?

When Quil pulled away, I pulled him right back in, ignoring the fact that I could barely breathe. Being angry with Quil was too stressful. Why would I ever be angry with him when my time could be better spent kissing him? Why would I ever push him away when him holding me was the best feeling in the entire world?

The second time, _I _pulled away, solely because I was starting to see spots from lack of oxygen. "No more fighting," Quil said, his breathing returning to normal much faster than mine. "I trust you. I trust you. I can't handle you being mad at me. I trust you, Claire."

"I can't handle being mad at you either," I told him, hugging him as tightly as I could. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging back, and I finally felt at home.

_Lilly _

I didn't hate school. I didn't really hate anything or anyone, for that matter.

Except vampires… and maybe Camille Glover.

I mean, how annoying can one girl be? If Bitchism were a religion Camille would be its spiritual leader. And Gaby would be her loyal follower. _(As if she isn't already)._

Day two of lunch was no better than day one. More shallow gossip, more idiot boys talking about swagger and saying random crap like "YOLO" and "Cool Story, Bro" _(Who was even telling a story?) _but much to Eliza's relief, less talk about Brady. Why she continued to deny she liked him was a mystery to me. About ninety percent of things Eliza did were a mystery to me. Like _why _she wanted to sit by a stupid bitch like Camille Glover at lunch.

"Second day and I already had a guy ask me to homecoming…" she boasted with a small flip of her hair. Gaby spit bits of her apple across the table.

"Oh my God! Who?" she squealed.

"This Sophomore guy named Josh Sinclair," Camille smiled, nodding her head in the direction of the lunch line where a group of guys were standing.

"Which one?" Eliza asked, looking up from her sandwich with what looked like little interest.

"Striped shirt, sandy hair," Camille said.

"Did you say yes?" Gaby asked.

"I told him I'd consider."

"He looks kind of… gay," I commented, noticing his coordinated outfit and expensive looking messenger bag. Travis snorted. Camille's nostrils flared.

"He's _not _gay, he's rich. Not everyone can tell the difference, don't feel bad. You just need to have a good eye."

"He's pretty," Marco smirked. "But I'm prettier."

"Did you just refer to yourself as pretty?" Jasmine rolled her eyes.

"What? You don't agree?" He raised an eyebrow. She looked down and continued eating as if she had not heard him.

"Anyway, _Lil_, there's no need to be jealous. The dance is still three weeks away, I'm sure you have plenty of time to find someone to take you."

"Maybe closer than you think," Travis said quietly.

"Well, anyway, there are more important things. I certainly don't care about a silly dance."

Camille rolled her eyes.

_Jesus, I really can't stand her._

_Mason _

I couldn't resist. Tuesday afternoon, after spending glorious time with Claire at school, I had to rub it in Quil's face. Immature? Very. Did I care? Not really.

I knew I should have just been thankful that Quil had a total whipped moment and gave Claire permission to speak to me—like I wouldn't have gotten her to talk anyway—but I just couldn't help myself.

"Well hello there, Chester," I greeted as he walked through the front door at around five o'clock. "Nice day at your new job?"

"Shut up," he growled.

"Anyway, I was thinking… Chester may not be a suitable name anymore. You're still a pedophile, but I think you need a name that also represents what a pussy bitch you are, don't you?"

"Claire isn't here to protect you anymore, Mason. I'd watch myself if I were you."

I smirked, pulling out my cell phone and typing in her number (which I am only slightly embarrassed to admit I had committed to memory) and showing the screen to Quil. "I can always call her up and let her know you're bullying me."

"Very macho of you," Quil commented. "Threatening to call my girlfriend."

"Chester, I'm more of a man than you on my worst day than you are on your best."

Quil doubled over in laughter. "Yeah fucking right," he guffawed, heading into the kitchen. The hole in the wall was still there, glaring evidence of last week's argument. Quil fixed himself a wolf-sized bowl of cereal and sat down at the table. I pulled the chair across from him out noisily—really letting it screech across the linoleum—before plopping down and smirking wickedly.

"You know, I was talking to Claire today during fourth hour, and I noticed just how _sexy_ her smile is. And her eyes. And her arms. And legs. I don't think she realizes it, but that girl is a fucking bombshell."

If looks could kill, Quil would have sent me six feet under. The spoon he had been holding bent like rubber in his hand as he crushed it with his fist. "Mine."

"What I find interesting is that I can name at least seven guys in school I've seen ogling her in the last two days I've been there, but you're not worried about them at all. Why me, then? Do I make you feel threatened, Quil?"

"No, but you successfully annoy the crap out of me. Look, you clearly know I talked to Claire last night and I agreed to trust her, but I don't trust you for a second and I never will. And I swear to God if you hurt her at all—"

"Hurt her?" I exclaimed, baffled. Before I could stop myself I said "I would never _hurt her_, I love her, too ya know!" Both of us were silent as the words I said sunk in. Yes, my feelings were about as clear as day, but I had never out loud, plainly stated the fact that I was in love with Claire Young. _Until right now, I guess. Though Quil isn't the person I imagined telling._

"Is that supposed to reassure me?" Quil finally asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know you find this hard to believe Chester, but I'm actually a human being with feelings, and unlike you, I choose not to hurt the things I love." And with that I abruptly got up and exited the kitchen without giving him a chance to respond.

I hadn't gone eight steps from the kitchen when there was a knock at the front door. "I'll get it," I muttered, hoping to both heaven and hell that it wasn't Embry who had somehow lost his key. Dealing with Embry and Quil in small doses was one thing, together they were unbearable. I unlocked the door and flung it open, preparing to slam the door at a moment's notice if I didn't like the person on the other side.

But it was Claire, of course, looking just as gorgeous as she had earlier at school. _How does she have the ability to make jeans and a light orange V-neck look like the sexiest thing in the world?_ _Why is she with Quil when she can get do so much better?_

"Hey," I smiled a real smile, not the arrogant smirk I usually flashed. I couldn't help it, Claire just put me in a good mood. She smiled back, making my heart literally stutter in my chest. _The fuck?_

"Hey Mason, Quil home yet?"

_Good mood over. _

_Quil_

"Hey Mason, Quil home yet?" I heard the voice of my angel float from the front door. I was there in an instant, practically knocking Mason out of the way to get to her.

"Just got home," I told her, placing a chaste kiss on her perfect lips, "You have excellent timing, baby."

"Good, because I'd hate to think you were just sitting here bored when I could have been here keeping you entertained," she whispered in my ear. I felt the sudden urge to shove Mason out of the door and lock it behind him, and instead settled for flipping him off behind Claire's back while I kissed her. He left down the hall without a word, looking somewhat sick to his stomach. _Good._ That was what he deserved for talking about _my _Claire. I pulled Claire into me, deepening the kiss and shutting the front door.

"So how did you get here? I thought you couldn't come over because Anthony knows that Em doesn't work Tuesday and Thursday afternoons so you couldn't lie about babysitting."

"I snuck out while he was in the bathroom," she smiled mischievously. "And rode my bike. He thinks I'm in my room, catching up on the summer reading I was supposed to do."

"Aren't you a naughty girl," I teased.

"You would know," she breathed against my lips before kissing me seductively. _Claire's sexiness is going to be the death of me._

"I missed these lips today," I shared before sliding my tongue across her smooth bottom lip.

"Just the lips?" She mused, pulling away.

"No, I missed their owner too," I smiled, brushing my hand lightly from her temple to her chin. I was filled with a very satisfied feeling when she shuddered in response.

_No one else can get that reaction out of her, only me, _I thought smugly.

"Well I missed you too," she shared before getting on her tippy toes and bringing me down to her level so she could kiss me playfully on the cheek.

"How long do you have before you have to go back?" I asked her.

"Well, I really don't know. But for now let's just say I better have my ass back in my room before dinner. And then there is the issue of sneaking back _into _the house. You know I don't think things through," she giggled.

"Don't worry. I'll get you back through your window, problem solved. Hopefully."

She flashed her gorgeous smile and then led me to the living room. "Dinner is in about an hour."

"I can work with that," I smirked as she laid on the couch.

"Slow down there, Mr. Horny Teenage Boy. We aren't fucking on the couch."

"Damn it," I cursed, causing her to laugh brilliantly.

"I barely get to talk to you anymore," she complained while she beckoned me over. I scooped her off of the sofa and then laid her down on top of me. A small part of me hoped that the scent of Claire and I would still be there tonight when Mason was trying to fall asleep.

"Can we at least talk like this?" I asked, drawing circles with my fingers across her back. She gave a slight shudder again and I kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Fine," she sighed, _as if _she wasn't into it.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't care. Tell me about how your job hunt went yesterday, any luck?"

"Yeah, Nolan and I got really lucky actually. There's this construction company in Port Angeles that builds new buildings in town and repairs old ones. When two huge native guys showed up asking about getting a job, the construction manager hired us on the spot."

"That's awesome baby!" Claire enthused, rewarding me with a long, deep, kiss.

"Yeah, we got lucky. Some of the other guys looked around today and yesterday, but it's hard to find work without a college degree nowadays, ya know?"

She nodded. "When do you start?"

"Today actually," I told her. "Nolan and I had an… orientation of sorts. We officially start Thursday."

"What do you even know about construction?" She asked.

"Close to nothing," I chuckled. "The innocent residents of Port Angeles should be warned."

Claire laughed again. "Don't kill anyone, Quil… well, anyone human," she added as an afterthought. "That would probably get you fired."

"Probably," I shrugged, "I hate the hours though. Monday through Thursday and I don't get home till five or six every day. That's going to severely cut into my Claire time."

"Well, I'm here now," she smiled, kissing me once more. I heard pacing coming from Embry's room and almost laughed. _Oh yeah, Mason's still here. Fucker._

"Yes you are," I murmured against her mouth. I flipped us so Claire was under me and shifted my weight to my arms and legs, which rested on either side of her. Claire sighed softly against my lips as I began kissing her again, with more vigor this time.

And just as fast as the moment became perfect, it turned into a nightmare. Two howls rang through the air, coming from the forest not far beyond the house. I shot up instantly.

"Fuck!" I hissed. Claire looked up at me anxiously, her hair slightly messed up from where my hands had just been tangled in it.

Mason was there in an instant, his face all business. "Did you hear that?" He asked.

"I'm not fucking deaf," I snapped in response.

"Well are we going or not?" He asked, looking unaffected by my remark.

My eyes went back to Claire, then Mason, then the door, then back to Claire. Two howls didn't just mean vampires. It meant a vampire emergency. The last time there were two howls in a row was when the hybrids attacked, and anything else considered worthy of that distress call unsettled me. My responsibility to the pack said go, but how could I just leave Claire here? Vampires were in the area! I couldn't leave her helpless and alone!

I rushed to the table by the door and snatched up my truck keys. "Go to Emily's. Now. Don't leave until I call you." I ordered, placing the keys in Claire's hand and closing her fingers around them.

"Vampires?" Claire asked softly. I replied by kissing her quickly but desperately on the lips.

"You're fine, Claire. Nothing is going to hurt you. Go to Emily's." It was the best I could do.

"Let's go," I spoke in Mason's direction, speeding through the back door and towards the trees.

"Bye Claire," I heard Mason say before he followed after me.

_ What's wrong? _I inquired the second I shifted.

_It's only one, but she's a hybrid, _Grayson thought. I saw the forest from his perspective briefly. He and Embry and Seth were flying after the vampire, who was currently out of sight, but left a strong smell.

_A hybrid?_ Mason entered the though train. _But all of the hybrids are dead. We killed them. _

_That's what concerns me, _Seth's thoughts weren't optimistic.

_But there's only one, should be easy, right? _Collin asked, speaking up. He, too, was chasing after Grayson, Seth, and Embry, who were on the vampire's trail.

_If there's one thing I learned, it's never underestimate a vampire. Especially not a hybrid._

_ Well, I'm hoping you're referring to an evil super-vampire and not my wife, _Jacob thought upon phasing.

_Hey, guys! I'm ahead of you, right along the tree line of the forest. You're running towards me, does that mean it's between us?_ Brady asked. _I can get it!_ He sounded almost eager.

_ Dude! You can't face a vampire alone! Turn and take a wide circle around it. _Collin ordered.

_ No, stay. I'll be there in a second, we can surround the fucker. _Embry suggested.

_I agree with Collin, seems risky. _I added.

_Pussy, _Mason rolled his eyes. He was still running beside me, and I fought the urge to snap at him.

_HOLY SHIT! _Brady howled as he literally collided with the vampire, who appeared out of nowhere.

_Brady_

_HOLY SHIT! _I exclaimed as the weight of a mountain crashed into my side. _Damn, vampires are hard._ And fast. Where the hell had it come from?

I whipped my head around to find it already running. It had not even stopped to pay any attention to me, like I was a tree stump as far as it was concerned. The vampire continued along the forest boundary at full speed. It was already almost out of sight with all of the trees, but before it disappeared, I caught what was sure to be its most distinctive feature. The leech's hair was bright ass blue.

_Where have I seen that before? _

_ Better question, why didn't it finish you off? _Grayson asked skeptically.

_I'm fast enough, I can get it! _Embry announced, increasing his speed and racing right past me.

_ We need to group up and hunt this thing properly, _Jacob reasoned.

_But we're so close! _Seth whined as him and Grayson reached me. I got up from the ground and shook the dirt off. Nothing felt broken. I followed after Embry.

_We can't let her get away! _Embry hissed. _She's running a little too close to home for my taste. _

_ What I don't get… _Mia—who had before been silent—thought, _is why the leech is just circling around. She got past Brady no fucking problem, but then she didn't change directions. If she wants to exit the forest, then why didn't she?_

_ I really don't like this, _Seth huffed.

_THE BLOODSUCKER IS GETTING AWAY!_ Embry howled loudly, causing most of the pack to quickly start to follow behind us in pursuit of the vampire.

_What's the game plan? _Quil asked as him, Mason, Jacob, and Collin caught up to Grayson and Seth, who were close behind me. Mia was just paces behind. There was no sign that the others had heard, or were in the area to begin with… but surely nine werewolves could take down a single little blue-haired vampire.

_Wait, Brady, _Collin's eyes widened. _Its hair is _blue_? Is it just a little thing, like maybe five feet tall?_

_ I don't know, I just caught a glimpse._ I told him.

_No, dumbass, you've seen much more than that. _And then he brought the memory to the surface.

The hybrids. There had been six of them. The leader, Jonathan, who secreted venom through his skin. His bitch, Haley, who let herself get captured and spied on us while we made our plans and then faked her own death before actually dying. The mind-controller, Connor, who liked to fuck with other members of the pack, making them think of the exact things they didn't want to. The one that Collin and I fought that first night, Harry, who had shadowy skin and was able to paralyze his victims with only a look. The smaller boy, who I never learned the name of, that had the ability to dull the senses. All of the vampires on the field that day were slaughtered. All of them were dead.

Except one.

One who left before the fight ever began. The one who, for reasons no one knew, never returned to help the other members of her coven.

The girl the other vampires called Lilah. The girl who was meant to kill the imprint girls but never got there. The girl with electric blue hair.

_Holy fuck,_ Jacob cursed.

_ I forgot all about her, when I left the fight to go to the girls I… I didn't even smell her. _Embry shook his head, slowing without meaning to.

_ Why is she back? Does she really think she can kill us all? _I asked. _That sixth vampire couldn't have been more than like, fourteen or fifteen._

_ Well, if she's fourteen we're all fucked, _Mason noted. _Fourteen year old girls seem to control this pack as it is, a vampire that age will run us into the ground._

I snarled, Seth growled (Annie was bitten just shy of fifteen), and Embry didn't make a sound.

_Well, I mean, he has a point…_ Grayson thought, but _it doesn't really matter if she's young or not, she's a fucking psychotic mutant leech. I wouldn't put anything past her._

_I wouldn't put anything past Eliza either, _Collin chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. After a million and one of them, the jokes about me being in love with Eliza were getting _reaaaally _old.

_Focus people! Let's kill the leech now and make fun of Brady later, okay?_ Mia snapped.

_Just because Leah isn't here, doesn't mean you can act like her, _someone mumbled, but we all listened to her anyway, leaving the conversation behind as we bolted after the bloodsucker.

The strange thing was, no matter how fast we ran, we never got close enough to see her, and her scent was fading. We ended up splitting in to two groups and running the perimeter of the reservation in different directions, and even when we met again there was no sign of her. Her scent was slightly dusted over everything, but Lilah herself was gone.

_ We lost her! I told you guys we weren't running fast enough! _Embry was the angriest of all.

_She's around here somewhere, Embry. We'll search all night until we find her. _Jacob assured him.

_Yeah? Just like we found the other leeches before? Oh wait! We didn't! Because they were hiding under the fucking ground. _Embry was shaking, and if he weren't already phased, he would have.

_Embry—_

_ What if she's only here to finish the job she was assigned? What if she came for the girls? What if we can't find her around here because she's in _Forks_! If you were about to tell me to calm down, _**don't**. _I'm going to go check on Lilly, and then I'm not going to stop hunting that leech down until she's ashes._

Jacob was much calmer. _Embry, I was going to tell you that you can't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault Lilah is still alive. _

_ I should have been thinking! While you guys were dying in a hole I was too busy worried about Lilly to even think of the vampire girl! Too preoccupied to wonder how the girls were alive, I was just happy that they were. God, I'm such an idiot! _

_Embry, none of this is your fault. We were all worried about our loved ones, we _all_ forgot about Lilah, it isn't healthy to hold yourself respon—_

_ Don't talk down to me, Jacob. _Embry snapped harshly, storming away. Even though he wasn't in an "I could use some company mood" I followed after him anyways. I'd been gravitating more towards Embry lately. We were always friends, but more so recently. He understood me (and these days, Collin didn't). And we had the girls in common, since Eliza and Lilly were best friends. I followed Eliza, he followed Lilly, there was some mutual girl stalking going on. The rest of the pack let us be, grouping up and hunting around. Much to Quil's relief, no one forced him to team up with Mason and he instead went with Mia to make sure Lilah had not somehow snuck in to La Push. Collin went off with Jacob.

_She doesn't even have Lilly's scent. Even if that _is _her motive, she can't find Lilly if she has no idea who Lilly is, _I comforted.

_She'll just pick out the girl who smells like she spends most of her time with a pack of wolves. There's only so many. _He replied miserably.

_Her scent doesn't even go this way._

_ I just have to check, okay? Besides, maybe if you're lucky Eliza will be over there._

_ Doubt it, it's probably getting close to six by now. And it's not like she'd acknowledge my existence anyways._

Embry didn't say anything, but mentally shrugged. We had not gotten a mile away from the edge of the forest when I came to a sudden halt. 

_ Embry, _I called urgently.

_What? _He asked, stopping and turning his head slightly to look at me.

_Don't you smell that? _

_Nope. But you've got the best nose. Do you smell her?_

I just shook my head—beyond words—and took off in the direction of the smell.

_What is it?_

And then came a scream, a very pained, very male, and very human scream. And the smell flourished. It was blood, human blood.

I reached the source of the smell (and noise) within a minute. Other members of the pack, having heard it too, filed in behind me.

No one spoke, no one moved. The only sound in the entire forest was the last ragged breath of the man lying dead at my feet. He looked like an outdoorsman, in strong boots and thick pants, with a backpack still strapped to his shoulders. Though why he was so far off any trails was puzzling. Blood oozed from the claw marks across his chest. Human claw marks, as if he had scratched himself. His entire body was covered in blood. It disturbed me that he had not been drained of blood. Wasn't that _why _vampires killed? For the blood? But even more disturbing was the note, stuck brutally to his forehead with a pocket knife. One simple word was scrawled on the torn scrap of paper. But I could read it clearly. My blood ran cold as I read the note once.. twice.. three times. But the message stayed the same.

**Hello.**


	38. Lightning Strikes Twice

**Author's Note: I know what you're thinking… another chapter? So soon? I told you, summer time is writing time. And lately I have been in a real writing groove. I've already even made it several pages in to the NEXT chapter. Things are getting very interesting in La Push, and the problems are just getting started. A lot of character foreshadowing in this chapter to look out for, and as always PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW.**

_Eliza_

When Dad called Claire out of her room to "come down for dinner" three times and there was still no response, he checked her room and finally found out what I already knew. Claire was gone.

In the short time I'd lived there, I had seen Dad angry several times, but his face had never turned as red as it was when he found Claire's bedroom vacant.

_Of course_ she'd snuck off to see Quil. "I have to catch up on my summer reading" was her excuse. I mean, _really?_ Claire _loved _to read! Her summer reading was completed in May, the same week it was assigned! Not like Dad knew that. Dad really knew nothing about Claire. (Or me, for that matter…) If he did, he would have realized that Claire was going to see Quil with or without his permission.

But since he knew close to nothing about his rebellious daughter, he was surprised and mad as hell. "When she gets home she is grounded and _that man _is going to be hearing from my lawyer," he said furiously while we ate dinner.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a little? Yeah, she snuck out, that's bad. But just to see Quil," I told him.

"_Just _to see Quil?" Dad's eyebrows lifted in disbelief, "Eliza, that is the worst possible thing she could be doing. Quil is a pervert and a monster."

I swallowed hard. I'd just gotten my father back, and talking back to him wasn't the best way to rebuild our relationship. But— "Well, I'm not going to comment on the first part, but… _Sam_ was a werewolf. Are you calling my uncle a monster? Your brother-in-law?"

"No, and besides Eliza, he's not your real uncle anyways."

"So? You're not my real father, either," I countered boldly. He slammed his water glass on the table.

"I'm just saying," I added quickly, defensively, "That I have known Sam and Quil most of my life, and neither of them have _ever_ harmed me. They've always stood by me, and werewolf or not, they are as much a part of my family as you are."

"Eliza, when I left… I want you to know it had nothing to do with you. I wanted to bring you with me, but your mother—"

"Look, I'd rather not talk about that, okay?" I interrupted, staring down at my plate. I didn't look back on the past… ever. It was too painful. Too much loss.

"I am curious," he said, "Is your defensiveness towards the werewolves because of that boy?"

I whipped my head up instantly. "What boy?"

"Back at Sam and Emily's… Claire mentioned you were kissing a boy double your age," he looked like he was trying really hard to swallow his anger. "And I'm assuming he is a… he's one of them."

Shit, and I _so_ hoped he'd forgotten that. "Oh, uh… that's just Brady," I mumbled.

"Mmhm, and tell me about this 'Just Brady' so I know who I'm killing."

"Really Dad, it's not like that at all. Yes, Brady is a werewolf, and he's double my age, and yeah, he likes me, but I don't like him. At all. He kissed me, it's not like I wanted him to. We don't talk," I reassured him.

"Let's keep it that way," Dad frowned. _Why is he talking to me like I can't handle myself? Claire's not around so he has to suffocate the daughter who actually _likes_ him?_

"Jesus, Dad! Just because you don't trust Claire doesn't mean you can't trust me!" I stared distastefully at my plate. "I'm full, if you need me I'll be in my room." I didn't bother to put my plate in the dishwasher.

He didn't stop me.

Twenty minutes later I heard the front door open and immediately dashed to the top of the stairs. Drama was always exciting.

Quil had to be the ballsiest guy in the world, because he had the audacity to actually _bring _Claire home… to the fucking front door!

Dad was at the door already, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "Where the hell have you been?" He inquired demandingly.

"Dad, something has happened," Claire's voice was urgent.

"You bet something has happened, you just got grounded for two weeks."

"Anthony, this is serious," Quil's said, all business.

"You're damn right this is serious, you're lucky I haven't called the cops. Don't test me or I still will."

"Dad!" Claire yelled. "Shut up and listen for a second! Someone's been murdered."

_That _got his attention, and mine too. "Who?" He asked, his voice softening slightly.

"We don't know who the victim is, but we know how he died. Vampire."

Anthony was silent for a moment. "This is all very terrible, but doesn't give you an excuse for lying to my face and disobeying me. Claire, go to your room."

"Sir, your daughter could be in danger," Quil said, stepping towards Dad.

"She's in danger every moment she spends with you. Get out of my house," he spat.

"She's not just any vampire, Anthony. She's a very, very, dangerous breed and we have reason to believe that Claire _and_ Eliza are in danger."

"My daughters are fine as long as they are far away from you."

"No, they're not!" Quil argued in frustration.

"Who is it?" I asked, making my presence known to my family and sauntering down the stairs.

"Eliza, go back to your room," Dad commanded through his teeth.

"No," I snapped, "I deserve to know what's going on and if you don't listen, then _I_ will." I breezed right past my father to stand beside Claire, who looked very, _very_ surprised.

"Her name is Lilah," Claire told me quietly. "She was one of the hybrids last month. She was supposed to kill us, but she disappeared, and now she's back. The pack is worried she may be trying to finish her job."

Dad looked at us intently, "You're saying that you think a vampire is out to get you, just the two of you?"

"The five of us," Claire said coldly. "Me, Eliza, and three other girls who are close with the pack."

"Why?"

"To get to us," Quil said, his voice full of self-loathing.

"Oh I see, so this is all your fault, _shocker_."

"Dad!" Claire hissed, grabbing on to Quil's hand.

"He's right," Quil mumbled.

"Damn right I am," Dad said. "Say goodbye, Claire, it's time for Quil to leave."

"You can't keep doing this, Dad!"

"I can if you don't want me to get him arrested. Your _ex-_boyfriend can stay if he wants me to call the police and tell them he kidnapped you."

"He didn't kidnap me. I went to see him! I love Quil and if you think you can break us up you're delusional!" She yelled, grabbing my wrist and dragging me up the stairs with her.

"Hey, grabby much!" I complained.

"Out of my house," I heard Dad say to Quil behind me, "Now."

"What's more important to you? Keeping her away from me or keeping her alive?"

"Can't you see? Keeping her away from you is what keeps her alive, now get out and never come back."

Claire pulled me all the way down the hall and into her room, locking the door behind us. "I can't believe him!" She shrieked angrily, starting to pace back and forth.

"Why am I in here?"

"Because I don't want to be alone right now and I'd rather pluck out my eyes than be anywhere near Dad."

"If it makes you feel any better, I think he's warming up to Quil."

"What the hell makes you say that?" Claire demanded.

"Well, he didn't shoot him," I told her.

"No, he only told him to leave and never come back and threatened to call the cops again. I agree, _real _progress," her voice was thick with sarcasm.

"But he didn't. Isn't that what matters?"

"No, what matters is that Quil is about to go hunting after a psychotic super-vampire who can probably kill werewolves at the nod of a head or some messed up shit like that! He doesn't even understand how dangerous it is!"

This was getting into "girl-talk" territory, an area in which I was very uncomfortable. Anything about love, worry, relationships, or insecurities was way out of my knowledge base. And lovely-dovey couples made me want to gag.

"I'm, uh… sure he'll be fine," I reassured her awkwardly.

"That bitch already killed someone. It was just an innocent man, a hiker. You know, she even left a note. She wrote 'hello' on a piece of paper and stuck it to his forehead with a knife! What kind of sick twisted person does that?" Claire was getting into hysterical mode, which I was even less comfortable with. Additionally, the image of a dead man in the forest with a note stabbed in his forehead didn't exactly fill me with a warm feeling.

"She's not a person, Claire. She's a vampire. This just goes to show you they aren't all like Annie and the Cullens."

"I don't think she's trying to kill us, though. She would have already. But last month… she didn't even try. She never showed up."

"Maybe she did. Maybe she heard Nahuel there and assumed he was going to kill us himself?" I suggested.

Claire shook her head. "I don't know, this all just feels wrong, very wrong. And if anything happens to Quil I won't be able to live with myself."

"They killed five already, what makes you think they can't kill one more?"

"Because there is obviously a reason why this one lived while the others died. She's crafty, I know that much. I just wish I knew her motives."

"If I get killed because of Brady making some vampires think I'm his girlfriend I'm going to be seriously pissed."

Claire just rolled her eyes. "The way your mind works is a mystery to me."

"How so?" I inquired, quirking an eyebrow.

"Here you have a great boy, who does nothing but try to win you over, takes your shit without complaining, and does everything he can to make sure you're okay, and you won't even speak to him. Brady is a great guy, Eliza."

_I know. _"Well, I'm not the girl for him. The sooner he sees that the better."

"But why?" Claire pressed. "Why don't you like him?"

"Because," I answered sharply, leaving the room.

_Because flowers are only beautiful until you pick them… _

_ Because every dog is sweet until it bites you._

_ Because when it comes down to it, the only person who won't hurt you is yourself._

And I was _done _with getting hurt.

_Quil_

It was early Thursday morning, the night before my first actual day at my first actual job, and I was harshly woken up at four in the morning by the howling of the pack.

A plethora of curse words spilled from my lips as I rolled out of bed and threw open my window. "Time to kill us a bitch," I called out groggily to Mason and Embry, who I also heard getting up.

_Where is she? _Embry asked as we phased, obviously more alert than I was.

_She tried to get in on the north end, _Leah informed us. Her, Grayson, and Danny were racing across the forest floor, their heads cocked upward. The bloodsucker was practically flying; jumping rapidly from tree to tree without effort. My heart fell. Northern La Push was where _Claire _lived, and since her dick father wouldn't let me anywhere near her, I wasn't there to protect her. _Claire! Claire! Claire! Claire! _My head screamed.

_ Shut up, I'm going to get a migraine, Quil!_ _You can protect her now by getting your tired ass over here! _Danny grumbled. I nodded, knowing he was right, and gained speed. As I ran, I continued to watch the hunt through Danny's eyes. Up at the tops of the trees, the blue-haired demon was one pirouette away from dancing; flipping around and laughing as she launched herself from one massive tree to another. A breeze tickled Danny's skin as a storm began to blow in, and Lilah froze, whipping her head in the direction of the nearby homes.

_She smells blood, _Jacob realized.

Quick as lightning, the leech began to fly again, this time in the opposite direction, _towards_ La Push.

_I don't think so, _Brady snarled. He was close by, close enough that I could see him from the corner of my eye. From my peripheral vision, I saw Brady change directions and put himself between Lilah and La Push. The rest of us did the same, forming a line along the border.

_No leech is laying a hand on my Claire, _I snarled.

Lilah came to a stop once again when she saw the immovable wall of angry werewolf. Despite the fact that we had fourteen wolves and there was only one of her, my stomach was in knots. Claire's house was close, really, _really _close. Her street was just behind us.

Mason and Brady's thoughts seemed to be in a similar place, Mason worried about Claire and Brady of course worried about Eliza. If I turned around, I could _see _their house at the end of the street. They didn't even have a gate surrounding their yard.

Lilah looked at us, then the houses, and then at us again. Then she hissed in frustration.

And, for the first time, she spoke. "You may be together tonight, but your strength in numbers routine won't last forever. And I grow stronger." With a flick of her wrist, Brady—who was actively jumping at her tree—went flat on his back. He did not feel pain, but rather absolute stillness, like his body was a rock. "You can't protect all of them. You can't even protect yourselves. And soon enough, you'll see that. " Her voice was cold, calm, and absolutely serious.

She whispered something then, under her breath, so quietly that the only word I heard was a name. A girl's name. "Lorena."

And then… she was gone. Brady regained control of his body and rolled to his feet.

_Damn it! _He cursed.

_Where the hell did she go? _Jacob growled.

But no one answered. We were all speechless. Just… speechless.

_Claire_

"Okay class, to kick off this 'exciting' year of physical education, you are going to educate yourselves in what it means to run," Paul said in his prison warden's voice. He motioned to the football field behind him, "So get your asses on that field and don't stop running until you've completed eight laps."

The entire class groaned. I made eye contact with Mason from the corner of my eye, shooting him a look that said: _Has Paul lost his mind?_

_ Probably, _Mason's eyes seemed to say in response.

"Uh, Coach. That's two miles," Taylor informed him.

"Very good, Taylor. If this were math, I'd give you an A. But it's gym, so run," Paul could be pretty menacing when he wanted to be. But why he wanted to spend all day teaching teenagers was beyond me…

Taylor just stared at him, clearly confused. "Any day now, children! Chop chop!" Paul bellowed, clapping his hands together. Every student broke into a mad dash for the field, afraid to face the wrath of "Coach Lahote".

I had just reached the field when Mason appeared beside me. "Hey, Claire," he greeted, his breathing completely even. Running was probably a second nature for him, _jerk. _I certainly wasn't a fan of running. Or any intense physical activity for that matter.

"Let me guess, two miles is nothing for you, right?" I asked.

Mason just laughed.

"Thought so," I said.

"Hey it's not so bad, I'll run with you," he offered.

"You're going to regret saying that," I cautioned, "I'm probably the slowest person in class."

"Slower than Taylor?" Mason inquired, nodding his head in her direction. Taylor Albright's gym clothes _would _be a tight green tank top and microscopic black shorts. But since she was in "school colors" no one could say anything. Half of the boys in class ran behind her, nudging each other and smiling (presumably looking at her ass). Taylor herself was basically walking and moving her arms in a jogging motion. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, _second _slowest," I allowed with a giggle.

"I don't know, considering the amount of sleep I got last night I just may pass out on the field," Mason admitted.

"Couldn't fall asleep?"

"I wish. It's that damn leech's fault. She had the nerve to swing by for a visit at four in the fucking morning."

My stomach tightened. _Funny how you can have nightmares about someone you've never even seen._ "I'm guessing you didn't catch her?"

"No. She literally vanished in to thin air. Don't ask me how. Jacob didn't want to take any chances though; we spent the rest of the night scouring the forest for her."

I let that sink in. A crazy vampire was out there somewhere, targeting the pack. Despite what Quil said, I really doubted she was after the girls and I. She was a vampire, a _hybrid_, and if she were here for anything, it was to end the pack, not their imprints. That I knew.

Another thought occurred to me. If Mason was tired, that meant Quil must be, too. His first real day of work and he must be exhausted. I wished for the millionth time that I could see him, but my father hadn't let me out of the house for anything other than school since Tuesday night. _And_ he had taken my cell phone away. I was suffering from withdrawals so severely that I was actually considering writing Quil a letter and delivering it to him via snail mail. Someone k_ill me!_

"What are you thinking about?" Mason asked.

"Quil," I admitted.

"Remind me what you see in him," Mason requested sourly.

"Why? It'd be a waste of my breath. You're never going to like him."

"In all fairness," Mason reasoned, "He's never going to like me either."

"Well, maybe you should try to be a little nicer to people. You're a cool guy and all, and fun to talk to sometimes, but you're also an asshole."

Mason didn't laugh. "Am I an asshole to you? Have I ever been mean to you?"

"Sometimes," I confessed. "But you try not to be. I think it's become a reflex for you."

"Really?" Mason didn't sound awfully interested.

"My point exactly," my breathing was slightly uneven from the running, "You're acting like you have no idea what I'm talking about. Or at least like you don't care. But I don't think you were born a mean person. You just think it's easier to push people away. And now you don't even know _how _to be the real you anymore."

"And who is the real me?" He prompted, humoring me but clearly not taking what I said seriously.

"I'll tell you when I find him."

"You can run faster than that!" Paul yelled from where he stood on the sidelines. "Ateara! Move your ass!"

"Yes sir, Coach Lahote, sir!" Mason saluted like an army soldier as he pulled slightly ahead. I tried to keep up. When Mason noticed my struggle, he peeked at Paul and slowed right back down.

"I'm really going to hate this class," I huffed.

"Shh! He'll hear you!" Mason warned quietly. We both laughed.

But the moment was bittersweet, because every moment I spent with Mason was a moment I was hurting Quil.

Even though I loved Quil to pieces, I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if I ignored Mason. It was my fault his mother had disowned him, and it was my fault Quil hated him in the first place.

How could I please both of them? _How can I make everyone happy?_

_Answer: you can't_. My conscience informed me.

_Peeeeerrrrrfect. _

_Lilly_

The afternoons were better… and worse. All of my classes after lunch were with Eliza. _Better. _They were also all with Travis and two of them were with Jasmine. _Also better. _But sixth hour also had Camille, Gaby, and Marco. _Much, much, worse._

Coach Fall—on top of being the tenth grade chemistry teacher—was one of the P.E. directors and varsity basketball coach. He was in his late forties and did not look in shape enough to be a coach at all.

"Okay guys, I know this is our last class of the day, but let's not shut down yet. Everyone pick a partner and let's practice spiking the ball," Coach said, holding a volleyball up in the air.

My eyes immediately found Eliza's and she smiled widely. I returned her smile, thanking the heavens that I could have some Eliza time without having to listen to Camille running her mouth.

But before I could even stand up to go talk to her, Travis stepped in the way. "Partner up?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Well, actually I—" I dropped off mid-sentence as I noticed Marco approach Eliza. He said something I couldn't hear and then Eliza's eyes shifted over to me, questioning. I sighed and gave a slight nod (to both Eliza and Travis). "Sure."

At least Eliza wasn't with Camille. Marco and Travis had probably planned this. Travis would ask me to be partners so Marco could move in on Eliza. _Very clever, boys._

As long as Brady never found out… Not like Eliza would care if he did anyways.

"Awesome," Travis smiled genuinely, running over to grab us a ball.

"So what do you know about volleyball?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Quite a bit, actually. My family is really in to sports. Jason, Alex, and Mike all played at least three sports when they were teenagers."

"Was one of them volleyball?"

"Yeah, Mike liked playing beach volleyball in the summers, but I think that's because he liked looking at girls in bikinis, and not so much because he was passionate about the game," Travis shared. I laughed.

"How old is your brother now?"

"Old. Thirty-one going on thirty-two. Then Alex is twenty-two and Jason is eighteen. I think Mike was an accident."

"You're the youngest," I noted.

"What about you, Lilly?" Travis asked, bumping the volleyball in my direction.

"Only child," I replied, passing it back.

"That sucks. I mean, growing up with three older brothers wasn't really a cake walk either though. Well, four now I guess. And a younger. Five boys isn't always so fun."

"You have _five _brothers?" I asked in disbelief, letting the volleyball fall to the gym floor as Travis hit it my way.

"Well, Mike, Alex, and Jason are my real brothers. Nolan and Jamie are my step-brothers."

_Oh, yeah, Travis _Newton. _Duh! _"That's right, your dad married Nolan's mom, didn't she?"

"You know the Chee family?" Travis sounded surprised. "How? Nolan and Jamie live on the rez with their dad."

"Nolan and Jamie are uh… friends. We have a lot of mutual friends."

Travis raised an eyebrow, "You hang out with redskins often?"

I glowered at him, "I'm not racist."

"I'm not either, I was just asking a question. Sorry if you took it the wrong way," Travis apologized.

"Well, if you would have asked politely I would have answered yes, a lot of my friends are native. Including one of my best friends and Eliza's family. If she heard you say something like that she'd skin you alive," I told him.

"I hardly doubt that. Marco's really going to have his hands full with that girl."

"What makes you so sure Marco is even Eliza's type?" I questioned, tossing the ball to him. He returned it to me easily.

"Marco likes to think he's every girl's type," Travis laughed. He had a nice laugh—not mocking or sarcastic like Eliza's often were.

"Is he really that self centered, or is it all an act?"

"With Marco, who knows. I've stopped trying to figure him out a long time ago."

"In that case, I think Eliza and Marco have _a ton_ in common."

"And so do we," Travis smiled.

"Excuse me?" I looked at him in confusion.

"Both of us have very… uh, _unique_ best friends."

_Oh. _I giggled. "Yeah, yeah I guess we do."

We continued to practice passing and serving the ball for the rest of the period. When it was finally time to go to the locker rooms and change, my arms were aching.

"Hey, Lilly, can I ask you something?" Travis inquired nervously as we exited the gym.

"Sure," I answered uncertainly.

"I know it's sudden, but would you maybe want to—"

"Guess what!" Eliza chirped, popping up behind us and shoving Travis away. I waved at him apologetically and followed Eliza into the locker room.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm getting frozen yogurt with Marco tomorrow after school," Eliza smiled.

"I didn't even think you liked Marco," I commented. Eliza's smile faded slightly.

"Of course I don't. Not that way. But I don't need to like him to have a little fun, now do I?"

_How do you do it? _I wondered. _How do you settle for lame ass high schoolers when one of the funniest, nicest guys ever would bend over backwards to impress you?_

_ When you know Brady feels so strongly about you, why do you insist on spitting right in his face? How do you not even feel sorry? _

_ And if you do feel sorry, why won't you just say something? Why won't you open up to me?_

But out loud I said, "No, I guess you don't."

_Claire_

"It's only the fourth day of school and teachers are already piling on the homework," I complained softly into the phone.

"Fucking teachers," I knew Quil enough to be able to tell that he was frowning through the phone. "If your backpack becomes so heavy it breaks your back I'm turning them into poorly-dressed chew toys.

I giggled a little too loudly then slapped my hand over my mouth. "Quil, you can't make me laugh!" I reminded him in a whisper yell. "My dad is just downstairs in his office. If he knows I stole the house phone to call you he'll freak!"

"Sorry, baby. I don't want to get you in any more trouble," Quil told me. I stared glumly out my window into the blackness of night.

"Don't be. If anything I should be the one apologizing to _you_. My dad is seriously considering calling up his lawyers."

"Eh," I imagined Quil shrugging. "I don't care. It's not that I don't think he'll actually do it… I just don't care. Eventually he's going to have to realize that there isn't a thing in this world that can keep me away from you."

My heart warmed at his words. "God, Quil. How can you be so stupid and wonderful at the same time?"

"It's one of my many talents," he boasted.

"Speaking of talents, how was work today?" I asked, desperate to keep him on the phone as long as possible. It was late, nearly eleven o'clock, and I knew he must have been tired, but the thought of hanging up the phone filled me with a very dark and deep melancholy. I was not looking forward to a second night in a row of crying myself to sleep.

"Long," Quil sighed. "But then again, every minute I'm not with you just drags. If I don't see your beautiful face soon I'm going to lose it."

I had to swallow the lump forming in my throat. Quil would _not _hear me cry. Knowing him, he'd probably make a huge deal of it and blame himself. The tears were better saved for later, when the only person who could hear them were Eliza, who thankfully didn't say anything to me about it today. Actually, Eliza hadn't been saying much to me or Dad lately.

"I miss you too," I whispered, which seemed like the only way to speak without alerting Quil of the tears that choked my throat and pooled in my eyes.

It was quiet for a minute while I composed myself. "Maybe I can find an excuse to get out of the house this weekend," I said. "Tell Dad that Kallia and I have an Art History project."

"Would he go for that?" Quil sounded eager.

"He most certainly would not," said a third voice. "Hang up the phone, Claire," my father ordered.

"Dad!" I whined, "You can't just do this! Butt out of my life."

"Don't make me come up there and take the phone from you," he threatened.

"Anthony, you touch my girlfriend and I will end you."

"She's my under-aged daughter and if you ever call her your girlfriend again I'll shoot you."

"Claire. Is. My. Girlfriend." Quil said slowly and clearly. "Shoot me."

"Both of you stop it!" I yelled.

"Hang up the phone, Claire!" Dad yelled back.

"You do _not _talk to her that way," Quil growled.

"She is my child and I speak to her how I want, not how a pervert tells me too."

The sound of a light thud on my window wiped my mind of what I was about to say.

_What the fuck?_ Slowly, I turned my body around to face the large windows that cornered my room…

And screamed like I'd never screamed before.

Dangling from the tree branch outside my window was a body, dangling by its neck.

The body swung lightly, almost as if the wind had pushed it… but there was no wind.

It looked like a girl, with long silky chocolate hair and what may have once been delicate features. But not anymore. Now the body was mangled past the point recognition, with fingernail marks all across her bloodied face. There was a smudge of blood on my bedroom window from where the body had tapped it.

The entire body was so dripping with blood that I couldn't even see what other wounds she had. Just that she was very, very dead. I screamed again, falling to the floor and flinging the phone.

I was vaguely aware of yelling, feet pounding up the stairs, and Quil calling my name from the phone, which now lay on the circular rug under me. But none of it really registered. None of it made sense.

All I could see was the blood, the girl, and the message. This one metaphorical rather than physical.

A mangled, bloody, body that belonged to what looked like a young woman hung outside _my _bedroom window. There was no note, no eerie writing, no knife in the forehead, but it didn't matter, for I read the message clear as day.

_You're next._

**Remember to like my facebook page, Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two. I have casted almost every character in the story. **


	39. Questions

__**If you are reading this in italics right now, I'm so sorry. No idea why it's like that. I am trying to fix this!  
><strong>  
><em>Quil<em>

When I heard the scream, I panicked. My first thought: Anthony was hurting her. That nearly made me reduce my cell phone to dust. I was already out the front door by the time I heard Anthony's voice on the line.

"Claire?" He said, sounding worried, then he hung up his phone. I heard his voice through Claire's phone, calling her name. I began to do the same.

"Claire! Claire!" I shouted as my running speed increased. I sprinted faster than any human could down the middle of the road, which probably wasn't the smartest idea, but I didn't care. All I knew was that Claire was in some sort of trouble, and I had to reach her.

"Claire!" I yelled again, feeling my blood pressure skyrocket. Then the line went dead and I panicked. I cut into the trees and kicked my shorts off, holding them in my mouth and immediately phasing.

Is anyone near Claire's house? I asked desperately, instantly filling in Mia and Collin (who were running patrol).

Not at all, but we're on our way, Mia promised.

I arrived at Claire's house forty-three agonizing seconds later. The first thing I was aware of was Claire's heartbeat, which at once calmed me enough to phase back to human form. I yanked my shorts on and was about to race for the house when I saw it.

No, not it. Her.

Hanging from the tree nearest to Claire's window was a body.

Holy shit.

If that wasn't a sign that Claire's life was in danger, nothing was. And unfortunately, it all made too much sense. We had already theorized that Lilah was after the imprints, and after last night… when she was less than a hundred yards from Claire's house…

I should have known.

Not that I wanted to get anywhere near the dead girl, but that tree was the fastest route to Claire. So (holding my breath) I scaled the tree, climbed right over the rope holding the bloody body, and made the jump for Claire's room. When my legs thudded against the house I heard another small scream from Claire, followed by a relieved "Quil!" as she saw who it was.

I hauled myself into the room, shoved right past Anthony, and pulled Claire into my arms.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked, pulling away and doing a quick examination. Other than the fact that her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were wide as saucers, she looked unharmed and beautiful as ever.

"Just terrified," Claire mumbled, going for a lighthearted approach but failing when her voice shook. I just drew her back into my arms and stroked her back reassuringly.

"You have no business being here," Anthony said through his teeth. I turned to glare at him slowly, hatred in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, but when Claire is scared out of her mind I'm not going to sit at home and pick my nails," I snapped.

"Where is your shirt?" He sounded appalled.

"I'm one hundred and eight degrees, okay? Now can you please explain why the hell a body is hanging outside Claire's window?"

Anthony paused for a moment. "I… I don't know. But I've called the police, and they should be here soon."

I rolled my eyes. Because the cops are sooo helpful.

"Did you at least call the special police?"

"Special police?"

"He means Chief Swan," Eliza spoke. I hadn't even noticed her. She was just sitting silently on Claire's bed with her back to the wall and her eyes glued to the window. "Sue Clearwater's husband. He's the only cop who could help at all. Most of the other police won't believe the old 'a vampire did it' story." She sounded odd, like even though her body was in the room the rest of her was somewhere far away.

"A vampire?" Anthony repeated.

"Who the hell did you think did it, the Easter bunny? Or did you assume it was me since I'm such a sick, messed-up pervert in your eyes already?"

Anthony was silent. The only sound in the room was Claire's ragged breathing as she began to cry. I squeezed her tightly.

"But vampires… I mean, they suck blood. The only blood that girl has lost is the blood dripping down her legs."

Claire cried harder and I shot daggers at her father with my eyes.

"Well, like I was trying to tell you, this vampire is a psychopath. I don't know why she's killing people, for the sport of it possibly, maybe she's bored! Probably, she just wants to send some kind of sick, fucked up message that we don't want to mess with her. But I know one thing, and that is that I can't let Claire out of my sight until the leech is exterminated."

Anthony shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"I can't just leave her unprotected!" I shouted.

What the fuck is his problem? Claire is in danger!

"Then you can protect her from outside," Anthony said firmly.

"Dad!" Claire cried, clinging even more tightly to me.

"Whose body is that? If she wasn't all clawed up she'd be kind of pretty. But she's just as torn up as that guy in the forest a few days ago," Collin noted, coming in through the window. Mia followed right after.

"Who the hell are you?" Anthony asked rudely, raking his eyes over them with the distaste of someone looking at trash on the side of the road.

"Backup," Collin shrugged.

"Werewolves," Anthony mumbled.

"Naturally," Mia said.

"Eliza," Collin nodded in greeting.

"Collin," Eliza replied blandly. "Hi Mia," she added with a kind if not somewhat distant smile.

"So?" I directed a portion of my direction towards Mia, who (to be honest) I trusted more than Collin. All the while I held Claire closely in my arms.

"Obviously her smell is all over the property. I'd say she circled the house once, twice maybe. Then the scent headed east. I called up my brother and him and Austin are following it," Mia reported.

"And I, uh, helped… with everything," Collin added lamely.

"Thanks guys, go join them while the trail is fresh."

"Wow, did Jacob, Leah, and Embry all die while we were out running patrols?" Collin mumbled, stepping right back out of the window and falling into open air. He hit the ground just a second later and was off.

"Are you coming, Quil?" Mia asked, looking between Anthony, Claire, and I uncertainly.

"Well he certainly isn't staying under my roof any longer," Anthony said sternly.

"I'm not afraid of you, Anthony," I told him, rolling my eyes. "I'm really not. Claire is in trouble, and that is all that matters to me. That is all that should matter to you, too. Keeping Claire safe is my priority, and if that isn't yours then you need to get your priorities straight." I knew the next words to come out of my mouth would get me shot for sure, but made no effort to try and stop my mouth from saying them. "Then again, I guess keeping your priorities straight never was your strong suit, was it?"

Anthony left the room.

"He's getting his gun," Eliza cautioned softly.

Claire jumped away from me immediately. "Go," she urged.

"I'm not leaving you here with him. He's a psycho. And there's other psychos lurking around." Was she out of her mind?

"You can't do anything if he shoots you in the head, now go."

"Go on, Quil," Mia said softly. "I'll stay here just to be safe. And if he called the cops then Charlie should be here soon."

"I can't." How could they really expect me to leave my reason for existing behind when she was scared, traumatized, and in danger from two ends? Her unpredictable father with a gun and the blue-haired vampire with a twisted way of making herself known were not the kind of people I wanted to leave Claire defenseless around.

"Fine, if you don't want to trust me then can you at least trust Seth? I'll send him over. And I'll call Sam and Emily," Mia offered. I was too worried about Claire to puzzle over how helpful she was being.

"The leech could come back at any minute!"

"Yeah, and so could my father… with his gun," Claire reasoned. "Don't worry. I know that's an impossible thing for you, but I'll be okay. Yeah, I'm a little shaken up, but Mia's here. And Eliza. Even most vampires have to be afraid of her."

Eliza actually laughed.

I sighed, "I'll be back once the cops leave and Anthony is asleep, okay?" Claire nodded eagerly.

"And please, try to get some sleep," I added. Then, before her father could barge back in and physically push me out the window, I took Claire's face in my hands and kissed her desperately. Claire wrapped her arms around my neck tightly enough to choke me, but I didn't care. She was alive, and that was all that really mattered.

"Damn it," I breathed as I heard Anthony's feet reach the top of the stairs and start down the hallway. "I love you, Claire!" I told her before racing to the window.

"I love you, too," Claire breathed softly once I had already hit the ground.

_Claire_

"And don't come back! No good pervert!" Dad shouted triumphantly at the window.

"Quil's a good guy," Mia defended, starting over to me and rubbing her hand softly on my back. It was the nicest thing Mia had ever done for me, and I really appreciated it. It's not that Mia didn't like me or anything… she just wasn't really sweet to any girls. Mia was always much more comfortable around boys.

"If you think so, then you can have him," Anthony huffed, placing his gun down.

"That'll be the cops," Mia said, turning to the door of my bedroom. "You guys can't hear them yet. They'll be here in a minute or so."

Soon after I heard the sirens ringing through the night. My eyes drifted to the clock. How long ago had it been since Quil and I were on the phone? Nine minutes? Ten?

Everything was happening so fast.

My eyes flitted to Eliza, who was as composed as always. Even though she was my little sister and I was older and more mature, I looked up to her in that respect. She was a true lady, always brave and calm in the face of danger. Then again, it's not like a dead girl had been hanging outside her bedroom window. The blood was still smeared where her face had tapped the glass lightly, and looking at it made me feel faint.

Why am I so weak? I'm here with Mia to protect me. Quil is the one hunting a killer vampire.

The doorbell rang and Anthony left the room to go answer it. Eliza stayed where she was, looking at the corpse with wide green eyes. If the eyes really were gateways to the soul, then maybe there was more to Eliza than icy coldness after all… because I noticed another emotion there. Another… troubled expression. I couldn't quite place it, but it looked like worry—or maybe unease.

I know that girl feels something in there, she just chooses not to show it.

"You really should blink or something," Mia said to her. "Staring at a dead thing too long may bring it back to haunt you."

"Shut up," Eliza rolled her eyes slightly. There's the regular Eliza.

By the time the police left and Dad and Eliza finally got in bed, it was pushing one in the morning. Even though the body was removed and the blood on the window wiped clean, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking just outside the my room. And how can anyone sleep with the mental image of a deal girl hanging from a tree by her neck seared into their brain? Reasonably, I knew that Seth was just outside my window, watching over me in wolf form. I knew that if the vampire were around Seth would have called for help. I knew that, at the moment, I was safe.

Someone else hadn't been so lucky…

The girl had been taken off to the morgue, where they would identify her and then notify the parents. I didn't want to know who she was, but certainly it would show up eventually. The story would probably make the morning news, in fact. But at our request, we would be kept anonymous.

Because a million questions at school is the last thing I need.

Another thought kept nagging at me, no matter how hard I tried to push it back. Why did the girl look like me? Does this vampire chick even know what I look like? Was that some kind of a sick joke? Like, "Look, this could easily be you!" And why me in the first place? Was she trying to get to Quil? Or did she literally just want to kill me?

"Claire?" A very familiar voice whispered. Quil was just outside my window, holding on to the sill. I went over and pushed it open, helping him in. Relief washed through me the second our eyes met. Quil was okay, and if he was around, I would be too.

"You should be asleep," he frowned.

"You really think I could sleep after all that? Besides, Officer Albert just left, like, fifteen minutes ago."

"I'm so sorry, baby. This entire mess is my fault."

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, "You had nothing to do with this."

"I had every fucking thing to do with this!" He whisper-yelled. "I imprinted on you, I loved you, I let you be my weakness, and now you're a target. No, not just a target, you're the target."

I let that settle briefly. "So, loving me makes you weak?" I tried to hide the hurt.

Quil's eyes widened at his foot-in-the-mouth moment. "No, no. I didn't mean it like that, Claire. You make me stronger, much stronger. You're my whole reason for living. But… when I think you're in danger I lose my mind, and I think that Lilah knows it."

That made me feel pretty horrible about myself. I may have made Quil stronger in some respects, but I was also his weak-link, and in a fight, that could kill him.

"I don't like the sound of that at all. If you get hurt because of that bitch then it will be all my fault," I said.

"No, sweetie. You have it backwards. If you get hurt then it is all my fault."

"How about neither of us get hurt, okay? I like the sound of that," I suggested. Quil smiled down at me and brought his lips to mine quickly. The kiss was not as quick, but rather soft and lingering. My entire body flooded with warmth as Quil wrapped his arms around my small frame and parted my lips with his tongue.

"Mmmm," I hummed as the kiss deepened. Quil smiled into my mouth and led me blindly to the bed. When the back of my legs hit the mattress, he lowered me down carefully and got right on top of me, supporting his weight on his hands and knees.

Only, I didn't want him to hold himself up above me, I wanted to feel his glorious heat pressed against my skin. I wanted to be completely engulfed in his presence—for who knew how long it would last. So I pulled him.

Quil, always the cautious one, still made sure to hold his own weight so he wouldn't crush me, but I could have cared less if he did. Shamelessly, I wrapped my legs around his hips and clung to him tightly, like the scared child I was. Quil seemed to notice how tightly I was squeezing him, because he brought his tongue back in to his own mouth and spoke.

"I know you're frightened. But I am going to protect you, okay?"

I didn't want him doing anything reckless…"Quil—"

"Okay?" He repeated, firmer this time. "She's never going to touch you. Everyone in the pack cares about you and none of us are going to let you get hurt."

"But Quil—" He silenced me again, adding pressure to his lips that were already against mine and kissing me desperately.

I don't want any of you to get hurt, either. Especially not you, I added silently.

"I miss you," I whispered when he—unfortunately—pulled away.

"I'm right here, baby," he promised.

"Now," I said glumly. "I miss seeing you. I miss sleeping in your bed cuddled up beside you. I miss your smile. God, I miss it. All of it."

Quil kissed me softly and briefly. "I miss you, too," he confessed, brushing his palm across my cheek. "Every second of the day."

"Why doesn't Dad get it?" I frowned. "I need you with me to function properly, Quil. I don't even know how to be away from you. I've never had to be and I just hate this… all of this. And I hate him."

"Not nearly as much as I do," Quil breathed. "The extent of our relationship shouldn't matter to him. You could be in serious danger and he isn't even allowing me to stay with you! Why doesn't he just fucking throw you to the bloodsuckers!"

My eyes widened.

"Sorry," Quil apologized. "Wrong thing to say."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Quil," I finally said, hesitantly.

"Yes, love?"

"A girl is dead because of me," I stated, still in shock.

"Don't think like that, Claire. It'll just eat you up inside," Quil said.

"But it's true. You know it's true. When she wants to send a message, she kills someone. Now a girl is dead; a girl who had a future, a family, and a reason to live. How is that fair?" I began to cry. "It's not. It's not fair!" I was aware of my voice raising and had to stop before I got too loud.

"Shh, shh," Quil wiped my tears away with his thumbs, trying to soothe me. "None of this was in your power. You didn't want anyone to die. I know it isn't fair, and I know it sucks, but please don't beat yourself up over it. Remember that there is always a reason for things, and maybe you lived because you have a bigger purpose on this earth to still be fulfilled. Whatever the reason, I'm damn happy you're okay because I don't know how to be away from you, either."

Quil must have been a wizard. Somehow, he could turn every negative thing I said around and make me feel so much better about myself. This was why I loved him so much.

"Can we please run away, now?" I pleaded. "I can't stand to be here any longer. Let's just run away and get married and never be in danger or apart ever again."

Quil sighed. "You really need to stop tempting me with those offers, Claire. Doing the right thing would be so much easier if you were for it."

"I don't want to do the right thing, I want to go somewhere no one can find us and stay there."

"You're overtired and in shock," Quil told me, getting up from the bed and scooping me into his arms. "Go to sleep."

I tried to resist, but he was right, I was totally drained from the events of the past hours. However, I knew there was only one way I could sleep. "Stay with me," I murmured.

"Claire, I—"

"Just until I fall asleep," I begged. "Please."

Quil replied with a kiss. He continued to move his mouth with mine as he pulled my blankets back and deposited me in my bed. Then he walked across the room to my lamp and clicked it off before returning to the bed and crawling in beside me.

And despite the nightmare I was currently living in, Quil's presence lulled me right to sleep.

_Eliza_

When the lunch bell rang, I was slower than usual to gather my things and evacuate the classroom. Everything just seemed… surreal; like I was floating through the day in some weird haze.

I guess it was expected—it's not every day that a dead body is displayed outside of your sister's bedroom window. But no one knew about that, and no one would ever know. So that meant I had to act like nothing was wrong. Especially since I had a date after school.

When I got into the hallway, I found that Jasmine was there, waiting for me. This was odd, seeing as we didn't have the same third hour class and we'd never walked to lunch together before. Her and Lilly shared third hour, so they had walked together the past few days.

"Hey Jaz," I greeted as regularly as I could manage. But between the haze in my brain and the confusion at her presence, I'm pretty sure I sounded like an awkward idiot.

"Confused?" She smirked. I nodded slightly.

"I just wanted to ask how you were feeling," she clarified.

"What do you mean?" I asked as we began to make our way to the cafeteria.

"Well, my dad got this crazy call at work last night about some murder display outside of a girl's bedroom down on the rez, and that girl was your sister."

My eyes widened, everything suddenly coming into clarity. "Don't tell anyone," I told her.

"Oh, I won't," Jasmine promised. "Sometimes a black girl can keep a secret." She smiled lightly at that and I did too. Jasmine wasn't totally black, she was mixed, but that didn't stop her from making jokes about it. She was actually quite funny if you took got to know her. Though a lot of people up here were so white-washed that they didn't take the time to get to know a girl like Jasmine.

That wasn't the case with me. At all. My family was all native, along with the pack. Annie and Gaby were Spanish. Jasmine was mixed. And Thaeo… Don't go there, I chided myself.

"I trust you," I said, trying to shake the other thoughts away. "And don't worry about me, I'm fine."

Jasmine nodded. "Good," she paused for a minute, as if contemplating her next words. "I heard you're hanging out with Marco after school today," she commented, changing the subject.

"Yeah, we were talking about getting yogurt down on The Avenue."

Jasmine bit her lip. "Okay, I know this is going to sound really weird, but just be nice to him. I think he's actually a regular person under all those layers of moron."

I laughed as we pushed through the cafeteria doors. "I'll keep that in mind."

Then, as if knowing he was being discussed, Marco appeared beside me. "Hey," he smiled, tugging lightly on a strand of my hair. For some unknown reason, I had straightened it when I woke up in the morning. "I like the hair, it's nice. Though I do hope you're not getting all dolled up because of our date." Despite his words, he sounded kind of hopeful.

"You wish," I laughed. "I just wanted to change it up."

"Well, excuse my forwardness, but it's a sexy change," Marco stated. I blushed. Jasmine looked at us sideways and then shuffled along quickly to our table across the room.

"What's her problem?" Marco asked, pointing his chin in Jasmine's direction. I just shrugged.

I'm asking myself the same question…

_Claire__  
><em>  
>Mason was almost as freaked out about the previous night's events as Quil was. He'd bombarded me the second I stepped into school in the morning and made sure I was okay. When lunch rolled around, he walked over to my table, charmed the pants off of my friends once again, and asked if he could maybe steal me away for just a little bit. They all just kind of nodded, staring at him with hearts in their eyes. Then Mason grabbed my arm and led me to a table on the other side of the cafeteria where he made me talk about what happened and asked if I was okay twenty times. All the while, nearly every girl in the cafeteria was shooting me dirty looks. Apparently none of them liked the idea of plain old Claire sitting with the "sexy new guy".<p>

Mason didn't let me out of his sight during fourth and fifth hour. Even Paul looked kind of concerned when I walked into class. Apparently, all of the pack knew exactly what was going on. When Mason insisted on accompanying me all the way to the door of the art history classroom, I was beginning to feel rather smothered.

That feeling intensified when Mason walked me all the way home. He even carried my backpack. I felt pathetic.

What, one close encounter of the vamp kind and suddenly I can't do anything?

"Really, I'm fine," I assured him for the zillionth time. "I honestly doubt Lilah is going to just pop out of that bush over there and slay me in the street."

"Slay," Mason mused. "Such a fancy word. Kind of out of use though, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes, waiting for his real answer. "Look, there is no such thing as being too cautious," he insisted. "This chick was ballsy enough to hang a body outside your window like a piñata, don't underestimate her."

"Thanks, Mason. I really like the mental image that is conjured up every time someone brings up last night," I said irritably.

"Sorry," he almost blushed. "I'm being insensitive."

"Maybe a little," I allowed.

"Do you think she went to our school?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I didn't really try to look too closely. But I'm expecting we'll know soon enough."

"Too bad Taylor Albright was at school today, if she weren't I would have been able to hope it was her."

I hit Mason on his upper arm as hard as I could with the back of my hand.

"Insensitive?"

"Worse. Try horrible," I told him. Mason smirked and gave a little shrug.

"Well, anyway, back to what I was saying. It's just to be safe, Claire. We don't predict Lilah is going to strike right away, but if anything happens to you all hell is going to break loose and you can rest assured that your boyfriend will blame me for not watching you and beat the shit out of me… again. That is, if he doesn't kill me for being near you at all. He can be very contradictory, don't you think?"

"Did he say something to you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but Quil likes to blame me for everything."

I didn't argue. When we finally reached my street Mason and I parted ways. He was planning on walking me right to the door, but if my dad was home I knew he would not be too pleased to find me with another werewolf boy.

"See you tomorrow," He said, giving me an awkward hug before turning and disappearing into the nearby forest.

That was weird, I thought to myself, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it before continuing down my street.

An unfamiliar white Mustang was parked in the driveway and I wondered who Dad had over at the house. He'd never mentioned if he had any friends in the area, so I figured maybe it belonged to a business partner.

Or Dad has a girlfriend…

I puzzled over the car for only a moment before Dad stepped outside. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?" I asked rudely, only partially turning to face him.

"Your new car," he smiled.

I blinked. "You bought me a car?"

"Yup," he sounded pleased. "It's used, but in great condition. I wasn't sure what you wanted, but the guy at the dealership said all teenagers like Mustangs."

"You bought me a car?" I repeated, still unsure what to think.

"Well, I know walking everywhere is a pain and I can't let you use my car all the time. So yes, I bought you a car. I had a lot of money just sitting around."

"My birthday was in July," I reminded him.

"I know when your birthday is, Claire. You're my daughter. But if you really want to, consider it a big birthday present to make up for eleven birthdays."

As nice as the car was, I was enraged. "So now you're trying to buy my love, is that it?" I snapped.

"I just figured you could use some cheering up," my father explained.

"Well, if you think a fancy car will make me forget about last night then you're wrong and if you think a nice car will make up for the fact that you won't let me see Quil then you're crazy."

"Just take the damn keys," he huffed. I did, snatching them out of his hand and making my way to the door.

"I don't know why you even bother, it's not like I can go anywhere anyway. I'm grounded, remember? Here's a hint, Dad, if you want me to like you, please give me what I really want, my boyfriend!"

I was being ungrateful, I knew that, but I couldn't help it. What kind of man ruins his daughter's life and then attempts to fix it by trying to buy her love?

If he really wanted me to be happy, a simple "I'm sorry that I judged Quil before getting to know him, and I'm happy that he makes you so happy" was all he needed to say.

Why was that so hard?

I stormed up the stairs and barged straight into my room. That was a bad idea, because being in there only brought up bad memories of the night before. And no matter how much I tried to forget about it, the images kept coming back and making my skin crawl.

I need a distraction. I thought. Badly.

Then, as if someone up above was both looking out for me and spitting in my face at the same time, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," I grumbled, flinging open my bedroom door and trudging back down the stairs.

Without pausing to question who the visitor was, I opened the front door.

And there, standing a foot away from me, was Mason, dangling my backpack in front of him. "You forgot this," he said.

**Author's Note: So I stopped this chapter kind of prematurely, but now that I think about it this is the most logical place to stop. The next chapter should really be a goodie. I know these updates are coming a lot faster suddenly, but don't get ****too**** used to it because I can't promise how long it'll be like this. I'm just a writing demon lately! Thanks to everyone who takes the time to let me know you like my story, you know who you are :) **


	40. A First For Everything

**Author's Note: Oh my God this is a long one! How did that happen? You know I get a tad carried away sometimes… **

* * *

><p><em>Eliza <em>

When Lilly and I finally exited the girls' locker room at the end of the day, I found a smiling Marco leaning against the wall across from the doors, waiting patiently for me.

"Hey ladies," he greeted.

"Hey yourself," I replied, flashing a smile his way. "Ready to go?"

"No, I'd actually rather just lean here all day," he answered with a smirk.

"Suit yourself," I shrugged, beginning to fake walk away. Marco laughed and reached out to place a hand on my shoulder.

"Totally kidding, don't you dare leave without me," Marco said, hurrying to catch up.

"That's what I thought," I stuck my nose up in the air superiorly, basking in the knowledge that no matter what he tried to do, I had Marco wrapped around my finger.

"Bye guys," Lilly waved a hand in farewell. _Call me later_, she added silently, mouthing the words over Marco's shoulder before she disappeared down the hall.

Let me take a moment to explain about Marco. Like most people I went to school with, I met him back in the sixth grade when I started at Forks Middle School. He was very friendly and welcoming when I first moved—that was before he was popular—and I thought he was a really nice guy. But I had Lilly, and was not really in the market for another best friend, _especially_ not a male one. That first semester of middle school was my "_boy_cott"; a time when no boy was trustworthy and all of them were fucking jerks. By seventh grade—when I went boy crazy—he was already dating another girl. I remember how much that annoyed me, because that year it seemed I dated just about every other attractive guy in school. He and his girlfriend broke up the summer before eighth grade, and I was hopeful that maybe he could be my first real boyfriend and not just a fling. But eighth grade was also the year he became unbelievably and unexplainably popular. And then I didn't want him anymore.

To be honest, I still didn't. He was just so… cookie-cutter popular. Deep down, I knew he was still the Marco from sixth and seventh grade, the genius Marco with the big blue eyes and the love of video games, but that didn't really do anything for me. Not anymore. He had that annoying faux-arrogance that reminded me a little too much of Collin, and he was smart like Collin, too. And I couldn't like a guy that reminded me of _Collin_. Ever. It was unacceptable. So why was I going out with him, exactly? No idea.

Well, I did have _some _idea. Marco was funny and attractive, and he didn't take life too seriously. He was just an easygoing guy and I needed someone like that in my life. Someone who _didn't_ howl at the moon.

So, when he had flat-out asked me out on Thursday, I'd accepted.

"Shall we m'lady?" Asked Marco in a mock-British accent.

_He is such a secret dork._ I giggled and rolled my eyes, "We shall."

It kind of startled me when Marco grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. Lately, it seemed like every time a guy was in my personal space it was Brady and I was pushing him away. This was different, though, and I had to mentally remind myself not to yank my hand loose from his and use it to slap him silly. _Because that would just be impolite and uncalled for…_

Some of the other freshmen noticed us coming down the hall. A few eyebrows were raised, but other than that no one seemed to be surprised. It was a small class—only ninety-seven students—and it seemed like everybody always knew each other's business.

Miraculously, it wasn't raining when we got outside. That was pretty good news, considering the school was several blocks away from The Avenue and we were walking.

"Nice day," I commented.

"When you're me, every day is nice," Marco boasted, flashing his white teeth at the sky.

"How does such a large ego fit inside such a tiny head?" I teased.

"Me? A big ego?" Marco questioned. "Never. And my head is average sized, thank you very much." We both laughed and made our way down the street, our held hands swinging slightly as we enjoyed the pleasant day.

A few minutes later we reached The Avenue, one of the newest additions to the community of Forks. The Avenue was a strip downtown full of trendy stores, cool restaurants, and _thankfully_ the only place in town where someone could get Starbucks.

All of the older residents in town complained that The Avenue was "too modern  
>for their sleepy town, which made all of the younger residents roll their eyes. <em>Everyone <em>came to The Avenue. Where else were teenagers expected to shop, hang, and date?

Towards the end of The Avenue was Swirl, the frozen yogurt place where Marco had asked me out to. "Thank God it's not pouring rain, who wants fro-yo in the middle of a storm?" I asked rhetorically.

"Baby, I could eat frozen yogurt every single day," he laughed. Hearing him call me that felt weird, even if it was just in a lighthearted joking way.

"But today is special, you get to eat frozen yogurt with a pretty girl."

Marco blushed, "Trust me, I haven't forgotten."

Just before we went inside, Marco's cell rang. He pulled it out and examined the screen. "Hey, my mom is calling, she probably wants to know what time to pick us up. You go in, I'll be there in a second."

"Okay," I shrugged. Then, much to my surprise Marco leaned in and pecked me on the cheek before pressing the talk button on his phone. "Hey, Mom," he greeted.

I went inside, feeling my cheek tingle slightly where his lips had touched it. _The hell? _

The two guys working the yogurt machine were just finishing up with the only two customer in the store. One was hunched over, asking the guy what kind of fruit he wanted mixed in, and the other guy had his back turned, mixing the other customer's yogurt.

_Good, it's not too busy,_ I smiled.

The smile disappeared immediately when the guy at the yogurt machine handed the yogurt to the customer. "That'll be four-sixty," he told her.

I blinked once, twice, three times, trying to make the image evaporate, but it didn't. It was—

"Collin?" I exclaimed before I was able to stop myself. He turned to the sound of my voice and then gave a wicked grin.

The other guy looked up too, nearly banging his head on the glass panel that separated the yogurt toppings. That was about the point I felt absolutely sick.

It was Brady. Stupid-obsessive-creepy little-pervert-Brady.

_Why do the worst possible things have to happen to me?_

Why the hell were Brady and Collin working in a frozen yogurt shop?

The couple getting their yogurt clearly sensed something about to go down and left the second they paid and Brady handed over the yogurts.

Once they were gone, I all but blew up. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Working," Brady stated obviously, waving an empty yogurt cup in the air.

"Yeah, I got that part. Why?" I inquired, getting even more annoyed.

"Jacob wanted us to get jobs and this place was hiring," Collin shrugged. "Why is it any of your business?"

"Well, I like coming here. I _don't_ like you," I glowered at him. "See the dilemma?"

"I have a solution. Leave," Collin said harshly.

Brady slapped Collin roughly on the arm. "You know Collin—absolutely _no_ filter on that big mouth of his."

"Yeah, because you are _so_ much better where mouths are concerned," I rolled my eyes… then realized how inappropriate that sounded and blushed. Collin laughed hysterically.

"Well, if you say so," Brady smirked, licking his lips jokingly. Then he looked me over once and frowned. "Your curls are gone," he noted.

"I straightened my hair this morning," I answered, peeking over my shoulder to see if Marco was on his way in. He was still on the phone. Thank God.

"It's nice, though I have to say your curls are much prettier," Brady assessed.

"I really don't care what you think of my hair," I shot back.

"She's lying," Collin announced, "It's Eliza we're talking about, and she cares what everyone thinks."

My face darkened. "I do not!"

"I mean, you're always beautiful," Brady defended quickly, "But straight hair just doesn't seem like… you. It makes you look like a stranger."

And then a bell dinged as Marco entered the shop, and I knew things were about to get _really _uncomfortable. For me, at least.

Marco sauntered right up to me and slipped his arm around my waist (kind of bold for a first date). "Did you decide what flavor you want?" He asked, paying no attention to the boys behind the counter who were complete strangers to him and far too familiar to me. The two boys who were glaring at Marco with malice and confusion.

"Not yet," I replied skittishly, glancing in Brady's direction. He was sizing Marco up, and I almost jumped out of Marco's hold before realizing that I had no reason to. Who cares if Brady saw? It would probably be good for him if he _did _see. Brady certainly didn't have any right to me, and I didn't owe him anything.

"Cute. Are you two siblings?" Collin asked innocently.

Marco turned to Collin with a look in his eyes that said _And who are you?_

"No, we are not _siblings_. Do you put your arm around _your _sibling?"

"Well, you guys just look so much alike I figured."

"Coming from someone who looks like a monkey," I mumbled under my breath, hoping that Collin heard me loud and clear.

"Aren't you two a little young to be dating?" Brady asked. My face grew red not with embarrassment but with rage.

"Is that any of your business?" Marco countered, clearly annoyed. "You're a yogurt boy."

_This is a nightmare. _"Ignore them, Marco. Brady and Collin just like to mess with me."

He looked at me incredulously. "You know these guys?"

"Regrettably," I sighed.

At the same time Brady said: "Of course she does. We go _way _back."

"Eliza, you never mentioned that you knew the guys who worked here," Marco accused lightly, not catching the cold edge in Brady's voice.

"Trust me," I mumbled, "If I would have known I would have suggested we go somewhere else."

I mean, seriously? Was this some kind of sick twisted joke? I could practically hear the heavens laughing at me. This was what I got for trying to live my life. Why was I being punished? It's not like Brady and I were dating! I wasn't cheating on him. There was no relationship between us!

Maybe this was just karma for just being a bitch in general… either way I wanted to melt into the ground. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so mortified.

Wait, I could… every other damn time I had to see Brady!

And then things got even worse. "Wait, you said Brady and Collin? As in, the Brady that Camille and Gaby talk about at lunch?" Marco realized.

Brady smiled his best _I am a sexy beast_ smile. "They talk about me?"

Marco laughed. "All the time. It's kind of irritating."

"Funny, because you've heard of me… but I have no idea who you are." Brady spoke to Marco but watched me from the corner of his eye.

"Brady, Marco, Marco, Brady. We're all introduced. Now let's get our yogurt and go."

"So, you two are… dating?" Collin tried to keep his voice neutral.

Marco and I spoke at the same time, and gave different answers. Him a simple "yeah" and me a "I wouldn't say _dating_. We're on a date."

Collin cocked his head slightly to the side. "Interesting."

"Anyway," I said, rushing to change the subject. "I'll have a medium blackberry-raspberry yogurt topped with Nerds."

"I'll have the same," Marco smiled, tightening his arm around me briefly in a small show of affection. I stared down at my feet as I felt my face heat up slightly.

"Two yogurts coming up," Brady grumbled.

"Let's sit," I suggested, grabbing Marco's arm that was around my waist and taking it in both of my hands, leading him to one of the cold metal tables by the windows. When he sat he joined his other hand with the two of mine on the table.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized quietly, even though I knew there was no _real _privacy in the presence of wolves. "If I knew they would be here I would never have let us walk through that door."

Marco laughed, "Don't worry about it, Liza. I think they're pretty funny."

"But we're on a date. And Collin and Brady are like big brothers to me. Super annoying ones. It's like I'm going on a date with my big brothers breathing down my neck!"

"Well, you can make it up to me," Marco proposed.

"Oh really?" I inclined an eyebrow. "Enlighten me on how I can ever redeem myself."

"You could be my date to homecoming," he offered with a slight questioning tone in his voice.

I heard the sound of a yogurt cup hitting the counter with great force.

"Deal," I said, ignoring the noise and paying attention only to Marco. His grin widened.

Another sound came. The quick patter of footsteps across linoleum and the slamming of a door. This time I turned toward the noise. Collin was still there, preparing our yogurt. Brady wasn't.

Stupid werewolves with their perfect hearing and insufferable nosiness!

Brady had no claim to me. I shouldn't feel bad for him. I shouldn't feel bad for agreeing to go to the dance with Marco right in front of him.

But, for reasons unknown to me, I did.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Mason stood right in front of me, holding my backpack out for me to take.

"Oh, thanks," I expressed softly, yanking the backpack from him rapidly trying to close the door. I needed to get rid of him before Dad showed up and started asking questions.

Mason stopped me though, sticking his arm in between the swinging door and the frame and preventing it from closing. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just have to do my homework," I dismissed quickly, grasping for any excuse I could.

"You know, Claire, it's Friday. Most teenagers save their homework for Sunday night at the very last minute."

"I don't. See you Monday." I attempted to seal the door again, but Mason was now propped against the doorframe. He gazed down at me, and the way he watched me so intently made me feel slightly uncomfortable. Quil looked at me that way, and I wasn't entirely at ease with the fact that Mason was giving me that same look. Quil was my boyfriend—my _imprinter_—Mason wasn't.

"I have all the same homework as you, want to work together?" He suggested, leaning slightly closer to me.

"I can't," I told him. At least this was the truth.

"Why not?" He challenged.

"My dad's here. And I'm grounded. And my dad hates werewolves."

Mason smirked slightly and snaked right past me. The length of his arm brushing across mine as he passed made me shiver. His warmth reminded me too much of Quil's. "Where is he?" Mason questioned.

"Yes, Mason, sure you can come inside, thanks for asking," I mumbled sarcastically. He shot me a charming, apologetic smile and I instantly forgave him for barging in. Despite his looks and arrogant persona, I could sense an almost childlike playfulness inside of him—buried under all the darkness.

Without a word, Mason began to navigate his way through the downstairs of my house. I closed the front door gently and followed after him. He stopped at the door behind the stairs and sniffed the air briefly. It looked silly, but I knew what he was doing, and I was used to it.

Slowly, Mason knocked on the door. "_Mason_," I hissed. Was he crazy? He was about to get shot!

"Come in," my father invited. I came up right behind Mason, ready to pull him out of the way if my father was within reach of his rifle. Mason shook his head at me and rolled his eyes a little. He didn't understand that my father was fucking crazy.

_A total lunatic, _I mused as Mason twisted the knob and let the door glide open.

Dad's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't expected anyone but me to be at the door. "Claire," he said, looking over Mason's shoulder at me, "Who is this?"

"Hello sir," Mason greeted, smiling politely and stepping forward. "My name is Mason, I'm a friend of Claire's. I just wanted to introduce myself to you."

Dad's emotions were conflicting. He looked pleased but cautious at the same time. "Hello, Mason, I'm Anthony."

"I was just wondering if me and Claire could maybe work on some homework together?" He questioned pleasantly.

"How old are you, son?" My father asked suspiciously.

"Sixteen," Mason answered.

That didn't mean anything to Dad. "For how long?"

"Seven months, give or take a few days," Mason shrugged.

The change in Dad's behavior was instantaneous. "Well why didn't you start with that? By all means, Mason, stay as long as you'd like. We're having barbeque chicken for dinner."

"_What?_" I screeched. _Is he fucking serious?_ "So I can hang out with Mason all I want but can't even talk to Quil on the phone?"

Dad frowned at me. "Quil is different."

"Why? Mason's a werewolf too, you know! The only difference is that Quil's been a werewolf for more than a month and a half!"

Dad chewed this over briefly. "You a werewolf, son?" He asked, turning back to Mason.

"Yes sir, but I really am only sixteen."

Dad sighed and nodded. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

"You're kidding me!" I whined infuriately. This was ridiculous! Dad didn't care that Quil was a werewolf at all. He cared that Quil was _old!_

_But he isn't old, _I told myself. _He's sixteen too. Just a really old sixteen._

"Claire, you're being rude," Dad scolded. I rolled my eyes. Did I offend his new best friend Mason or something? I'd just _hate _to do that.

"Come on, Claire," Mason said, taking my wrist rather than my hand, "let's go work on that homework." I saw that he was trying to suppress a smug smile, and was suddenly very angry with Mason.

I knew it was unreasonable. Mason hadn't really done anything… but the fact that my father instantly liked him and not Quil annoyed me to no end. _Especially when Quil is so much more likeable!_

We went to sit at the dining room table, Mason pulling out a chair for me. I mumbled a thank you and picked my backpack up from where I had left it at the front door before going and sitting down.

"So, do you want to start with algebra or biology?" He asked. I didn't actually want to do homework, but couldn't exactly tell him I wanted to go upstairs and pout like an angry teenage girl.

"How about a lesson in how to win over my father," I mumbled drily.

Mason chuckled and sat down beside me. "I know this may confuse you, but _most _people actually find me quite charming. You probably would too, if Quil didn't possess your mind," he teased.

I slapped his arm angrily. "He does _not. _I have just seen some pretty ugly sides of you. Kind of spoils the charm factor," I shared sourly.

"Well that's just too bad. By the way, there isn't a secret or a lesson to be taught, it's just a natural born talent."

"In that case," I said, trying to swallow the argument burning in my throat, "I'd rather start with algebra. Biology is harder."

"Well I hope you're smart, because I suck at school."

"And why is that?" I interrogated.

"Because I always skip," he shrugged. That didn't surprise me.

"Oh yeah, you're a 'bad boy'. I wonder how my dad would feel about that. Probably he wouldn't even care."

"Well aren't you bitter. I'm sorry that your dad likes me and not Quil," Mason apologized. "Wait, no I'm not."

I glared at him fiercely. He looked apologetic, but only slightly. "Well it's true. If I have a chance to hang out with you without Chester breathing down my neck, I'm not going to mope about it."

"What did you just call him?" I asked accusingly.

"Oh, uh," Mason clearly hadn't meant to say that. "That's just a name I have for Quil."

"Yeah, I got that," I rolled my eyes impatiently. "Why Chester?"

"You'll be mad if I tell you," Mason warned.

"I'm waiting."

"Uh, Chester the Molester," he looked down at his hands, which were cupped together nervously.

"You two are going to give me a permanent migraine. If you're both going to be nice to me, then be nice to each other, too! If you stopped trying so hard to hate each other you may actually get along!"

Mason blinked. "Yeah, and maybe the president is a paid actor and the government is actually run by a chimpanzee."

"Well, monkeys _are _intelligent creatures," I challenged. Mason just sighed and shook his head again, clearly realizing that converting me to the pessimist side was a lost cause. I was forever an optimist.

"Okay, so should we start with the section on parabolas?" I asked in an attempt to turn the conversation around. If Mason wasn't so stubborn, and there wasn't a vampire apparently out to get me, I would have told Mason to get lost by now. I really needed time to myself after being smothered all day long.

"What in God's name is a parabola?" Mason asked, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion.

I shook my head slowly, letting out a small sigh. This was hopeless. "How about we just forget about algebra, okay?" I pulled out my biology book, "Are you any better with osmosis and other types of diffusion?" Mason just stared at me with a helpless, lost puppy kind of look.

"I have a better idea, how about we _ditch_ the homework and do something a little more fun," Mason decided.

My eyebrow lifted curiously as I wondered what exactly his intentions for being here were. I knew of course that Mason wouldn't hurt me in any way, both because he wasn't the type and secondly because Quil would snap his neck if he even thought about it. I was safe, that much was certain.

But all of this one-on-one time with Mason made me feel… not just uncomfortable but also guilty.

"Fun doesn't exist when you're grounded," I huffed.

"I disagree, there is no such thing as things not being fun while I'm around," Mason boasted. I barely refrained from rolling my eyes.

"So then what do you suggest we do? Watch the clouds move across the sky?" I asked drily.

"I was actually thinking I could kick your ass in the board game of your choice, but whatever you'd rather."

"Was that a challenge?" I didn't take being challenged very well. It didn't matter if the challenge was a board game.

"No. It's not a challenge if I know I'm going to win."

I snorted, "God, you really are an asshole sometimes. You don't even know what game I choose."

Mason leaned in close, so close that our faces were less than a foot apart. "Enlighten me," he proposed, enunciating each syllable slowly and carefully.

I bit my lip as I contemplated, but then stopped instantly when I saw how it drew Mason's eyes to my mouth.

"Jenga," I eventually concluded.

Mason rolled his eyes grandly, "You make this so easy." I scowled at him.

"You won't be saying that when I take you to the cleaners," I boasted.

"Let's make it interesting then, Miss Confidence."

I scrutinized his poker face curiously. This could turn very dangerous very quickly, and I wasn't about to let my competitive nature get me into a hole I couldn't climb out of. "How interesting?" I inquired.

"If you win, I'll stop making so many jabs at Quil. But _when_ I win, you have to stop trying to push me away and act like you don't want to be my friend."

"I don't push you away," I protested lamely.

"You tried to slam the door in my face barely ten minutes ago," he reminded me. "You're epically bipolar."

"Fine," I agreed hesitantly, "Deal."

Mason smiled brazenly and cracked his knuckles, which seemed really unnecessary. "I should have warned you that I am a Jenga master."

"We'll see," I hummed before going off to find the game.

* * *

><p><em>Mason<em>

Twenty minutes later, a peal of laughter rang through the air. And it was coming from Claire. "Oh, sweet victory!" She practically sang. The tower of wooden blocks had just toppled thanks to a wrong move on my part.

"I let you win," I lied. "Couldn't bear to ruin the smile on that pretty face of yours by making you feel like a big fat loser."

She just nodded, "Uh huh, whatever helps you sleep at night."

She was on to me. How did Claire somehow know that I put all of my effort into that stupid little game? Just because I loved her didn't mean I would give her victory, not with the price it came at. I was going to have to be a man now and go through with the deal, though the thought of being even a tiny bit nice to Quil made me feel sick. I'd only do it around Claire, obviously. I'd do anything to make her happy… but I wasn't going to like it.

"I see the homework is coming along," Anthony noted. I turned slightly to find him leaning against the stair railing directly across from the dining room.

_Uh oh. _

He didn't look angry at all, which I took as a good sign, but I had spent enough time in the principal's office and detention in the past to know that adults had _killer_ poker faces. Hell, my mom could get away with murder…

_And my father actually did._

"We may have gotten a little sidetracked, Sir. Sorry." If there was one thing I was terrible at, it was getting adults to trust me. But Anthony just made it so easy.

"Oh, that's no problem. It's a Friday, there's nothing wrong with having a little fun," he smiled.

_Way too easy._

"It's only wrong if it's with Quil, right Dad?" Claire's voice was as bitter than black coffee.

He shook his head at her dismissively. Whether or not I liked Quil—which was a definite not—I didn't like Anthony treating Claire that way. She deserved to be treated with kindness, not to be ignored. No one shrugs off Claire and gets away with it.

But it certainly wasn't my place to say _that._

I hadn't dealt with a parent in a little while, but the last time hadn't gone so well. It ended with Mom throwing a duffle bag full of clothes at my head and slamming the door in my face. The memory made me go cold.

"I'm home," Eliza called as the front door swung open. "Oh," she jumped when she noticed we were all right there. "Hey guys."

Now, I didn't know Eliza all that well, but I could still tell that something was off about her. She appeared tired and uneasy and that Eliza smirk that I had grown accustomed to was missing on her heart-shaped face.

"Did you have a good time?" Anthony asked her pleasantly.

Eliza nodded enthusiastically, but it seemed somewhat false. "Yeah, it was great. Marco asked me to Homecoming."

"That's great."

"How is it fair that my little sister can date and I can't?" Claire demanded, standing up from the table and crossing her arms.

"You can date, Claire. You just can't date Quil," Anthony explained. I bit my lip to resist from laughing. Anthony was a horrible father, but at least he had good taste.

"How about you date Mason," he added as an afterthought.

_Wonderful taste, I love this man…_

"How about you go back to wherever you've been the last eleven years and stay there forever," Claire spat.

"I'm just going to back away slowly," Eliza decided, making her way backwards up the stairs with caution, like she was trying not to frighten a wild animal with her movements. I couldn't blame her, living with Anthony and Claire under the same roof probably _was _like living in a lion's den.

"Claire," Anthony sighed, "I wish you could see that I'm only doing what I think is best for you."

"But you don't know a thing about me!" Claire yelled. "So how could you know what is best for _me?_"

Claire was a fiery little demon, and I loved her even more for it. She was unfairly sexy when she got all huffy about something. The way her cheeks flamed and her eyes lit up…

_Oh God._ How could the most amazing girl I'd ever known belong to the biggest douche bag I'd ever met?

"I know that you're even more stubborn then your mother," Anthony said, tearing me away from my thoughts.

"Is that why you left?" Claire inquired demandingly.

"Claire, your friend is over, can we talk about this later?" He asked tiredly, throwing a glance my way.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and sat back down.

"I hate him," Claire mumbled once Anthony had left the room.

"I can see that," I told her, laying my head on the table and glancing up at her through my eyelashes. She really _was _beautiful from every angle. And not like those fake girls who caked on five layers of makeup and teased their hair to Jersey heights… She was a natural beauty. Taylor Albright had nothing on Claire.

Claire sighed and laid her head on her arms, which sat on the tabletop. Our eyes were at the same level now, and she stared into mine imploringly. "What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"Honestly?"

"If you are actually capable of giving an honest answer," she replied doubtfully.

"I was thinking that you are way better than the other girls at our school," I admitted. Claire blushed. She looked like she was about to respond when my phone rang.

"You going to get that?" She asked instead, changing whatever she was about to say.

_Damn it._

I took the phone from my pocket and examined it. The number wasn't saved in my phone. "Nope," I decided, hitting end and placing it on the table beside my head.

Within seconds, the phone rang again. This time, Claire lifted her head partially to check the screen. Her face lit up so quickly I knew there was only one person it could be. She pressed talk and eagerly brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey Baby!" She chirped excitedly. My stomach churned.

_Great timing, Quil_.

His voice sounded from the other end, "Hey Claire-Bear, what are you doing answering Mason's phone?" Funny how he spoke to Claire so sweetly and me like I was Satan himself.

"He didn't know who it was so he wasn't going to answer, but I could recognize your number anywhere," she answered. Claire sounded so energetic and happy as she spoke; it felt like a punch in the gut. Claire had never sounded so cheerful when she spoke to me.

"Do you think I could talk to him for a second, love?" I heard him ask casually.

_Uh oh…_

"I guess so," she gave a melancholy sigh, passing the phone over.

"Hullo?" I asked when the phone reached my ear.

"Step away for a minute," he ordered. All of the friendliness he used with Claire had evaporated. _Shit, shit, shit. I'm in trouble now._

"I'll be right back," I whispered to Claire before going up the stairs and retreating to the room at the end of the hall that smelled like Claire. It would offer some comfort while my ear was assaulted.

"What's up?" I asked hesitantly when I knew I was in a private space.

"Why are you in my girlfriend's house?" Quil did _not _sound pleased. No surprise.

I sighed, "So, who do you have spying on me?"

Quil was really miffed, "No one is _spying _on you. Embry is watching Claire's house and he called me."

"Well, tell Embry he can go watch Lilly instead. I've got this."

"No, you don't."

"Listen, Dumbfuck," _so much for being nicer,_ "Claire's life is potentially in danger. I'm just trying to do what you can't and protect her! Are you going to be like her father and put Claire's life in jeopardy because of your own little personal issues? Because I'm not. Stop tricking yourself into thinking you're the only one that cares about her!"

"Embry cares, and he's sitting _outside _her house right now. If you want to watch, you can join him," Quil stated sharply. It sounded like he was speaking through his teeth—something he really loved doing when he was pissed off.

"Who do you think you are Quil, alpha? You're not. You're just a selfish, territorial, _jackass_. I can see why Anthony doesn't want you near Claire."

Quil's end went silent for a minute, which I took as a very bad sign. When he answered again, he was scarily calm. "Leah works and Jacob is with Ness. Embry is third and he's doing his duty to the pack by watching Claire when he could be with Lilly."

"His duty to the pack… or to _you_?" I interrupted.

"Claire is my imprint, which means that the rest of the pack will do anything to keep her safe."

"That is what I'm fucking doing!" I said, "I'd do anything to keep her safe, too. I'd do it whether she was your imprint or not because I care about her. Let _me_protect her. I can help."

"I'm sorry, Mason. I know you care for Claire and want to keep her safe, but that girl you _think_you love is my entire world and if I'm not around to keep her safe, I need someone I trust to do it. Embry is my best friend and I trust him completely, but I don't trust you at all. During school, you're the only one who can watch her, but school is over. Leave."

"No. Why can't I stay here and help watch her? The more the merrier, right?"

"If you're not out of there in five minutes Embry will come in and drag you out my your balls, understood? I don't need another thing to stress about. Don't play with me, kid."

He hung up.

_Oh goodie, _I fell onto Claire's bed with a sigh. It smelled like her, which helped me focus.

I wasn't really afraid of Quil, but I also didn't doubt that Quil meant what he said. If I didn't get out one way, I'd go out another. Embry was bigger than me, and probably stronger too. I mean, the guy was less than an inch shy of six and a half feet, and I was just short of 6'2. Not to mention he probably had forty pounds of muscle over me and one hundred times the training.

_Damn it!_ _Fuck my life. _

I growled in annoyance and palmed my forehead.

"Does Claire know you're on her bed? Or are you just doing it to piss off Quil even more?" I jumped at the sound of Eliza's voice from the open doorway.

"No to both," I answered, sitting up slowly.

"So, not like I was spying but…" she paused, "Okay, so I was spying. I hate when people have their tense confrontations on the phone. How is a girl supposed to know what's going on when she can only hear half of the conversation?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, Liza, but have you ever stopped a second to look at your own issues before sticking your cute little nose in everyone else's?"

She chewed her lip as she pondered this. "Not really," she finally answered. "It's easier this way… pretending that life only happens to other people and not you."

That was insightful, in a messed up kind of way. Focusing on other people's problems _was_ so much better than reflecting on my own shitty life. The only good thing in my world right now was Claire, and I couldn't even have her.

Adding to the idea that Claire was off-limits, I heard the padding of paws against the forest floor just outside of Claire's window. When I turned to the glass and looked out, I saw wolf-Embry lingering at the edge of the trees, glaring up at me. Apparently, it was time to go.

"I, uh, better get going," I said, getting up and slipping past the particularly nosy blonde.

"But you never told me what he said to you!" She protested.

"Sorry, Liza, I guess you'll just have to live with the mystery."

Meanwhile, I'd have to wallow in my misery…

* * *

><p><em>Collin<em>

I was getting _seriously_ pissed off.

Obviously Eliza was evil… but did she have to be so horrible all the time?

Okay, clearly she couldn't have known that Brady and I would be working at Swirl, but once she found out she could have left! God, I wish she would have left. Every time Brady saw her it was like ripping the bandage off and finding the bleeding wound in his chest hadn't healed a bit. But seeing Eliza with another guy _really _got him.

After the stupid kid asked her to Homecoming and she accepted, Brady had simply walked out. Not just to the break room, he had literally left. I spent the rest of my shift worrying about him. I would probably go home to find him curled up in a ball on the floor (It wouldn't be the first time).

I really wasn't in the mood to pat him on the back and tell him she'd come around eventually, because we all knew that wasn't going to happen. I could tell that she didn't hate him as much as she let on, but for some reason or another, Eliza was fighting her emotions tooth and nail. And when Eliza decided to be stubborn, I couldn't imagine anyone changing her mind.

When I pulled my jeep up to the house, I prepared myself for the worst. There wasn't any crying, which was a _really _good sign. But oddly, the sound of shattering glass rang through the air.

I hopped out of my vehicle and made my way toward the front door, mentally bracing myself. He wasn't in the living room, so I followed the sound of shattering into the kitchen.

There I found Brady standing beside a stack of our dinner plates and glass cups. One by one, he was scooping them up and throwing them at baseball pitch speed into the wall across from him.

"Fucking brat!" Brady yelled as he let a coffee mug fly.

"Dude, what the hell?" I shouted, grabbing his arm to prevent him from chucking a dinner plate.

"Let go of me!" Brady growled, tearing loose and throwing the plate. This time he shouted, "Heartless bitch!"

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume this is about Eliza," I sighed.

"I hate her. I really do. She's a cruel little hot snake-hearted bitch!" He threw a bowl this time. I shook my head slowly as it collided with the wall and shattered into a thousand little glass pieces. Say anything about my best friend… he had a killer throwing arm. Oh, and he also had some serious anger management issues apparently.

"You don't mean that, man. Well, maybe the hot part, but you don't think she's a bitch," I informed him.

"Don't tell me what I think! You agree! You call her a bitch all the time," he reminded me angrily, settling for just knocking a dish off of the counter this time.

_He needs a therapist. _Most werewolves blow off steam by running and killing leeches… Brady apparently just broke things and called people names as if they could actually hear them.

"Yeah, cause I actually believe that. You don't. You're just heartsick, bro."

Brady's face lit with anger. "I'm not heartsick! I don't even care. I'm over her anyways," said the boy who was chucking all of our glass dishes at the wall.

"Clearly," I agreed, my voice packed with sarcasm.

"I am!" He insisted before going on smashing plates and calling Eliza every mean name in the book.

"Look man, how about we stop this before you run out of dishes and settle for smashing my face in, okay?" I suggested, stepping back slightly when he turned to me with his fist in the air and a wild look in his eye.

"Fuck off, Collin! Get out of my business!"Brady ordered, shoving past me and storming down the fall.

Regular Collin would listen to him. He would stay out of things because it was easier and because he didn't believe in the cause anyway. But I wasn't regular Collin at the time, I was Best Friend Collin. And Best friend Collin was getting seriously sick of his best friend being distraught all the time.

This was the last straw. I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't stand around and watch him be upset.

My stomach twisted as the realization of what I needed to do dawned on me. It went against everything I believed in, and was something I never in a million years thought I'd do.

But, for Brady, I guess I'd do just about anything, because I know he'd do the same for me.

So, whether I liked it or not, I was invested in this problem now. And I wouldn't rest until my best friend was happy again.

_One day he better thank me for this._


	41. Interruptions

_Collin_

I left the house at midnight, musing over what a terrible idea this was. Despite her angelic looks and witty humor, I didn't like Eliza one bit. She was a demon. Albeit, a beautiful one, but a demon all the same. And did I really want my best friend to be with an insufferable bitch? Answer: no. And even if I did, Eliza made it crystal clear that she wasn't ever going to give him a chance.

_Why the hell am I doing this? _I asked myself for the thousandth time that night. _I'm a werewolf, not a genie!_

_She makes him happy, _my conscience felt the need to remind me.

_Yeah, well girls with big tits and low morals make me happy, where's my prize?_

I already knew I was crazy for meddling in this relationship game… the fact that I was talking to myself didn't help.

There were so many challenges to overcome that I barely knew where to begin. As I made the short trek to my desired location, I made a mental list.

_Step One: Make Eliza realize she has feelings for Brady._

_Step Two: If she actually doesn't, convince her that she should._

_Step Three: Somehow rope Eliza and Brady together._

_Step Four: Teach Brady how to control his anger and get him talking to Eliza._

_Step Five: If Eliza refuses to listen, make her._

_Step Six: If steps one through five are unsuccessful, find a new girl for Brady to obsess over and ship Eliza off to Canada._

It wasn't very good, but at least I had a place to start.

_Why am I such an amazingly good person? _I huffed as I came to the trees bordering the Young's property. Claire's bedroom was the closest, and the day old stench of vampire still clung to the tree, along with the even more disturbing scent of human blood. The next set of windows over were the only ones in the house with any light filtering through. If the aroma of her skin hadn't given it away, the glimpse of a scantily dressed Eliza passing by one of the windows certainly did.

She had nice legs, I noticed grudgingly. How could a girl so physically attractive be so full of crazy?

Her window was a lot harder to reach than Claire's, and I took a moment to curse Anthony for buying a two story house. If I didn't have super werewolf agility, getting through Eliza's window would have been entirely impossible. But I managed okay.

Well, somewhat okay. Eliza whipped around to the sound of the window sliding open. She was holding her iPod, which she wielded like a weapon. Her green eyes were wide with terror in that first instance, and then quickly shifted into extreme annoyance as she recognized that it was me climbing through the window.

"You can't just do that, it's illegal!" She hissed, racing across her room to one of her drawers and hastily pulling out a pair of sweatpants to slip onto her completely bare legs.

"Do you always walk around pantless?" I asked, amused and momentarily distracted.

"Do you always creep into unsuspecting girl's rooms in the middle of the night?" She replied sharply.

"Actually, no. It seems that pleasure is all yours."

"Pleasure," she scoffed, shaking her head back and forth, "you're unbelievable."

"You're pretty hard to believe yourself," I informed her dryly.

"Please just get out of my room, Collin. I think I have a pretty good idea about what you're planning to say and we've been over this. I don't like Brady. Plain and simple. I have a life; I date boys. Like Marco."

"Who you also don't like," I prompted.

"Exactly." Her eyes widened, "Wait, no."

I smirked. So she _didn't_ like Blondie… not really. That was a start. "So, you won't date Brady because you don't like him, but you _will_ date Blondie even though you don't like him either?"

"His name is Marco, Collin. And I _do _like him. You just… confused me."

"You don't get confused."

She rolled her eyes and started towards the bed, which was on the other side of the wall from Claire's and stuck out into the room rather that following the wall like Claire's did. She sat at the edge of it and then continued to glare at me ruthlessly, "I get annoyed, though. And right now you're really annoying me. Please leave."

I shrugged, "I'm an annoying person. It's a fact. It could be the ADHD." There was a brief pause, so I continued. "Now, back to my question…?"

Something in Eliza's face changed. It was like a layer of her bitch had peeled away, leaving a semblance of a human being. "I already answered it. Brady is a nice guy, he's creepy, but genuinely good. I'm sure he'll make some very lucky girl really happy. But I can't be that girl. We all know that. You're his best friend Collin, you of all people know I'm no good for him. I'm doing him a favor."

_Oh, _I realized, _she doesn't think she's too good for Brady after all, she thinks he's too good for her. _It was true, but at least I could work with this.

"Look, Liza. I know I could fight you all night on this and you still wouldn't listen, but I've never seen Brady more alive than when he's near you. Yeah, you make him feel like shit, but I've also watched you make him light up like a Christmas tree. Ignoring him isn't doing him a favor, it's wrecking him!"

"It's a temporary wound. It hurts and it heals."

"Not for Brady," I countered. Eliza bit her lip in a very tormented kind of way, and the metaphorical mask she hid beneath slipped away completely.

"Do you think I like hurting him? Do you really think that low of me?"

I felt suddenly horrible. Because, in truth, I _did _think that. Eliza wasn't a serious person. Everything was like a very exciting game for her. But tonight she wasn't in the mood for playing. It felt like a very vital piece of Eliza had gone missing, leaving her open and vulnerable. And strangely, I could hear the agony in her voice. And for the briefest of moments I believed that maybe there was a working heart under that pale skin.

"It would never work between us, Collin. So do him a favor and stop trying to do him a favor," she said when I didn't respond.

"Why? Why would it never work?" I asked softly, hoping that this different Eliza would open up in a way typical Eliza never would.

"Because it simply shouldn't. And the sooner he understands that, the better."

I was silent as I let that all sink in. I realized that most likely Eliza was mentally disturbed. She probably should be locked up somewhere. Suppressing all of your emotions for fourteen years couldn't possibly be healthy. And now Eliza seemed very… gray. Lifeless. The last time I had spoken to her like this, I had told her that gray was a fitting color on her. But now I saw that it wasn't.

Something seriously messed up was stirring underneath the surface. And before I could even have a hope of getting her and Brady together, I had to figure out what it was.

_Further down the rabbit hole I go…_

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

A week passed. Saturday and Sunday were spent in my room. On Monday we ate dinner at Sam and Emily's and Emily asked me to babysit after school this week because she was working late. Tuesday was a mixture of moping, babysitting, and being torn between talking to Mason and avoiding him altogether. Ever since Friday—when he left without explanation—he had seemed really weird. I drove him home though. Quil wasn't there…

Wednesday and Thursday I tried to maintain a level of sanity. I drove Mason home those days too, only to get my hopes up and be disappointed each time. No Quil.

By Friday though, I was losing my fucking mind. It had been eight days since I'd seen Quil. He worked all day and then got home and ran patrols until well past midnight. He was obsessed with finding Lilah, and I worried about him.

I missed him like crazy… in more ways than one. I missed seeing him, talking to him, kissing him, touching him. I missed him touching me. I missed…

_Better not to think about that now, Claire, _I scolded myself.

Thirteen days. Thirteen miserable days had come and gone since Quil and I had last had sex. The thought was ridiculous. Since Quil and I first kissed, we had never went that long without being intimate. Hell, before three weeks ago, the only time we had went more than a day without having sex was the very first week we dated! But my father showing up changed everything.

Now, I am a sixteen year old girl, I should not be addicted to sex. And I'm not… I'm simply addicted to sex with _Quil_. Just thought that should be clarified…

My mind drifted to the last time. It was in the ocean the night of the bonfire. I recalled the way he touched me, the way I was wrapped around him, the way my hands knotted in his short hair, the way—

Paul's loud Prison-Warden voice brought me back to reality. "Okay, today in health we are going to be talking about something I'm sure none of you pay any attention to," as he said the next word, his eyes met mine across the room, and he smirked, "Abstinence."

_You're kidding me. _I blushed a deep red and put my head down on my desk. The only sound in the room was the squeaking of chairs as students shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"That's exactly the level of enthusiasm I was expecting," I peeked up from between my fingers to see that Paul was more cheery than a kid on Christmas morning. It didn't surprise me… making people uncomfortable was one of his favorite things.

"Trust me, I completely understand why this topic makes teenagers so uneasy. It's because a half of you fuck around all the time, and the other half say they do just to sound cool. But when you're pregnant… or have an STD, I promise that no one will be calling you cool anymore. I know it seems really important to you now. It was important to me, but wait until you are really in love."

"And what if you already are? Like, what if you have a serious boyfriend?" Taylor asked.

"Miss Albright, three weeks does not qualify a boyfriend as serious."

She made a huffy noise. "What if you use protection?"

"Why would you want to have a long list of lovers when it is so much more special to just be with one person?"

"Uh, because sex rocks," Daniel smiled. The entire class broke out into a fit of laughter.

_Oh my God, that it does._ Great, now I'd have sex on the brain all damn day.

Paul just shook his head and muttered something about it being hopeless.

"I can't take a sex talk seriously coming from Paul," Mason muttered in my ear.

"Can we please not talk about sex right now," I breathed back.

It was way too late though, all I could think about was Quil's sickeningly gorgeous body, and how much I wished it was on top of me right then, pushing me down into his mattress. I imagined him grabbing on to me tightly, holding my arms or my hips or my thighs as he filled me with a pleasure most people could only dream about. The more and more I dreamed about it, the more and more I needed it.

"Whatever," Mason shrugged.

"Something you two would like to share with the class? Miss Young, Mr. Ateara?" Paul inclined an eyebrow. Both of us shook our heads innocently.

"Are you two having sex?" He asked.

"No!" I screeched. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Well how was I supposed to know?" Paul gave a falsely oblivious smile. "In the future, please do not whisper in my classroom."

_Fuck you, Paul! Fuck you. _

The bell eventually rang and I walked to sixth hour with my brain miles away. I didn't care what it took, I had to feel that pleasure again. And I wasn't going to be patient about it.

"Can I go to the nurse? I feel faint," I asked in the middle of sixth hour.

"Sure, I'll write you a pass," Mr. O'Riley said. Kallia looked at me with mild concern, but I just shrugged it off. The moment the pass was in my hand, I bolted out of the classroom.

I flat out ran through the hallway, not stopping until I made it through the double doors and outside to my car. I didn't think, I just drove. For the first time, I was grateful for this car. Walking would take too long.

It was Friday, which meant Quil shouldn't be at work. Dad wouldn't be expecting me home this early. If I had any shot at all of seeing Quil, this was it. I could only hope that he was home.

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

Thirteen days without sex was unbearable. There was only so much satisfaction that can come from a hand and a shower… what I needed was Claire.

If I could even just _see _her I knew it would be easier. But I couldn't. Not when Lilah was on the loose. If I couldn't be directly by Claire's side protecting her, I would make better use of myself by finding the bitch and ripping her to pieces, saving her face for last so she could watch the whole thing happen.

I'd be out there now, if it weren't for the fact that I had gone searching straight from work yesterday and hadn't slept since. Jacob had forced me to go home an hour go to rest.

But how could I be expected to rest when Lilah was at large and I was horny out of my mind? (Okay, the second problem was sort of unrelated, but definitely true.)

So I was just kind of sitting on the couch and twiddling my thumbs, hoping that Jacob would remove his command and allow me to keep looking.

That is, until I caught the scent of the world's most amazing girl coming down the street. I jumped up from the couch and was out the door by the time a car pulled up out front. It was the same car that had been parked outside of Claire's house this week, and I wondered if Anthony had given it to her. It didn't matter though. What mattered was that Claire was stepping out of the car. She met my eyes instantly and her face lit up. I ran much too fast for a human and pulled her into my arms. The relief was instantaneous.

She parted her lips, like she was about to say something, but my mouth was on hers before she had the chance. The second our lips connected my body was filled with an insane pleasure. The longing for her lessened. She was here. She was really here.

I deepened the kiss quickly, desperate to taste her. She obliged, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck and trapping me down on her level. But Claire was a tiny thing, at only five foot three, and hunching over to kiss someone thirteen inches shorter than you wasn't awfully comfortable. Instead, I grabbed behind her knees with each of my hands and hoisted Claire up to my height. A soft groan escaped her throat and she wrapped her jean-clad legs around my waist.

_This is more like it._

My hands trailed all across her body as I tried to find just the right place to hold her. Her hips, her head, her legs, her ass… there was just so much to feel. I really needed more than two hands.

Having her so close to me was giving me a raging hard-on, and I wanted to take her inside, but I couldn't bear to pull away just yet. Not yet. Not when it had been so long since I'd been close to her. Not when I was just starting to feel whole. I couldn't stop yet.

I could tell she was starting to run out of breath, so I let my lips and tongue trail away from her mouth, following the line of her jaw and then down her neck. By the time I reached the hollow of her throat she was forcibly pulling me back up to her lips, I happily obliged.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the curtains of a window at the house across the street twitch. We were being watched. Or we had been just seconds ago. I wasn't too surprised, the old dude across the street was a nosy old bastard who probably knew a lot more than he should. I mean, he'd been living across from us for as long as Embry and I had been here. I didn't even know his name.

"We may or may not have an audience," I mumbled against Claire's lips.

"Who?" She breathed.

"Creepy neighbors," I chuckled, running a finger down her arm. She shuddered noticeably.

"Then maybe we should take this somewhere a little more private," she concluded, kissing me once again.

I was so unwilling to stop kissing her that I just kissed her with my eyes open and stumbled back toward the house with her still wrapped around me.

We made it as far as the couch. I laid her back into it before getting on top of her. The kiss never broke the entire time. I remembered the last time Claire was over at my house… we had been in nearly this exact position. Except this time no one was here to interrupt us.

_Perfect_.

The kiss finally broke when Claire tugged my shirt over my head. "Hi, by the way," she said with a smile, discarding the shirt on the floor.

I laughed, realizing that we had not even greeted each other. "Hi, baby. How are you?"

"So much better now," she admitted, cupping my face in her hands. "So much better…"

"Oh God, I've missed you so much," I told her before my lips descended on hers again. She sighed in pleasure the second they made contact, wrapping her legs even tighter around me. For such a little thing, she had a serious death grip. It would probably take three wolves to pry her off of me (not that I was complaining at all).

"Ditto," she said against my lips. "And Paul…" kiss "And health…" kiss "And a sex talk and I" kiss "just" kiss "couldn't" kiss "take it." I chuckled, because I had no idea what she was talking about, but I agreed.

I was going to pull Claire's shirt off over her head like she did mine, but instead just tore it open impatiently. "You have shirts here," I muttered as an excuse. She just nodded and continued kissing me enthusiastically.

I felt the texture of her bra against my skin. It was silky, with a lace back. I concluded I liked it without even needing to see it.

Claire's hand slipped to the belt of her jeans, and I was so thankful that Jake made me come home. Of course I wanted to be out hunting that bitch down, but that came second to how much I wanted to have sex with my girlfriend.

She undid the buckle and I helped her unfasten the button before we worked together to slide the denim down her legs. Once they fell to the floor, I let my fingers roam the smooth backs of her thighs. Pantless-Claire reacted to this by grinding against the part of my body that needed her the most. A groan escaped from between my lips and my fingers dug into her legs so hard I practically broke the skin.

_Be gentle Quil,_ I scolded myself. But It was so hard to be gentle with a practically naked Claire underneath me. I did manage to loosen my grip though, and then I let my fingers glide up to her hips. Once they were there though, it was too hard to resist grinding her into me.

The rubbing of our bodies was intoxicating. _"Quil," _Claire let out a breathy moan. "You—you're still wearing pants."

I grinned down at my own personal angel. Her hair was messed up from where my fingers had tangled themselves in it, and her cheeks were flushed. The best part were her eyes, which were gleaming and half glazed-over. It was almost like she actually_ was _intoxicated. And I loved it.

_She is so sexy. Fuck! _My brain felt the need to remind me. _As if _it were possible to somehow forget. Maybe Anthony was right, and lusting after a teenage girl so intensely was sick. But if it was wrong I sure as hell did not want to be right. Ever.

I crashed my lips against hers once again. It was just too difficult to resist her perfect mouth. While doing this I continued to grind into her hot little body. The sounds she made were making it increasingly difficult not to take her. But at the same time, I wanted this moment to last, because there was no way of knowing when I would be able to be with Claire like this again.

"Quil," Claire repeated, impatiently this time. "Pants. Off."

"Anything for you," I chuckled into her mouth.

My pants joined the pile of clothes on the floor almost immediately after that.

As we continued to kiss passionately, my hand found its way between the couch cushions and her gorgeous behind. I couldn't help it, touching her was like a drug. Once you started you couldn't bring yourself to stop. I was in a drug-like state, where everything was blurry except for Claire. Claire was the only thing that existed. Claire was the only thing I noticed. My hand slid up to her back until it ran into the lace back of her bra.

"You two sicken me!" A voice groaned from the entranceway. My body jolted in surprise. _Fucking Embry._

"Shit!" Claire squeaked, her face turning bright red. She pulled one of the pillows over her chest to cover her as I sat up. It's not like this hadn't happened before, but Claire seemed unusually embarrassed today. I was about ready to give Embry shit when I noticed he wasn't alone.

* * *

><p><em>Mason<em>

When the bell rang, I went to meet Claire outside of her last class, but she wasn't there. The corners of my mouth turned down in confusion. Where was she? She had waited for me every day this week.

"Claire's not here," a high voice said off to my right. It was one of Claire's friends. Kallia. _The weird one._

"Oh? Uh… where is she?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"She went to the nurse in the middle of class. Never came back. She left in a hurry, I think she was about to be sick," Kallia explained. She kept looking down at her shoes and I noticed her heartbeat was accelerated a little. Why did every girl at school get nervous around me except the one I actually wanted to? The girl I _actually_ liked was the only damn girl who didn't like me!

"Okay, thanks, Kallia," I mumbled, walking away down the hall feeling lost. Claire was the only reason I put up with school, and now she wasn't even there. Just to be sure, I walked out to the student parking lot. No Mustang. No Claire.

I didn't mind running, but riding home with Claire had been the highlight of my week. _Where is she?_ I frowned more.

"What's wrong Mason? You look kind of down," Taylor noted, placing a hand on my arm. I shook it off. Her shameless flirting was beyond aggravating. Especially when she had just been blathering on about how great her boyfriend was two hours ago.

I walked casually off of school property in the opposite direction of the other students, into the nearby trees. Once I was in their shadows, I let tremors rock through my body. Seconds later I exploded. I noted with neither excitement nor disdain that I was getting better at the whole werewolf thing.

_Shouldn't you be stalking Claire or however you spend your afternoons, Fox Boy? _Nolan questioned.

I growled and rolled my eyes. He couldn't see it, but I hoped he sensed it at least. The speed and heightened senses were cool, dealing with the other guys was definitely not. Especially Quil's groupies.

_Excuse me, I am not a groupie. Quil and I are equals._

_Was I even talking to you? _I snapped irritably, making my way to Quil and Embry's slowly. I wasn't in a big hurry to get there, even though I doubted either of them would be home. Quil had been gone almost all week, chasing down the vampire or working. It was splendid. When Quil wasn't around, Embry was slightly bearable.

_How sweet, that really warms my heart, _Embry commented. _When you shut your mouth, you're almost bearable, too. Almost._

_Whatever, _I huffed.

_Are you going home? I'm about to crash. Been circling Forks and the rez since four in the morning. No blue-haired bloodsuckers anywhere near here. Jake sent Quil back a little while ago to crash._

_Yeah, I guess. You know what's wrong with Claire? She left school early._

_Yes, _Embry's sarcasm was blatant, _I concern myself with Claire's whereabouts at all times. Would you like her exact coordinal location?_

_Well, I just figured since Quil has turned you into her guard dog and all…_

_Shut your mouth, Fox. _

That was _not_ a nickname I pictured myself warming up to.

_You're sly and mean with orange fur, get used to it, _Nolan muttered. I growled.

A minute later I crossed paths with Embry. We were less than a mile from the house. _So what color shirt is Lilly wearing today? _I needed a distraction. And messing with Embry was almost as easy as messing with Quil.

Embry studiously ignored me, but his mind did involuntarily conjure up an image of him spending some time lurking outside of her house in the morning. She she was walking from the front door to her mother's car. And she was wearing green.

_I just don't want anything to happen to her, okay? And you're the same way, so don't you dare talk._

I didn't say anything, but my thoughts were smug. Embry was almost a certified stalker.

When we reached the house, Claire's car was pulled up out front. My blood boiled as I realized that she had left me at school to go to her precious Quil. I phased back before Embry could say anything about it.

Once we were both human though, he _did _comment, "That answer your question?"

I glared at him viciously. Once we made it to the door, I could hear the sound of kissing coming from inside, and prepared myself mentally. Last time I'd seen them kissing it had nearly made me throw up. It _literally_ made me sick to see Quil with his hands on Claire, with his lips moving over hers. And it made me jealous. Insanely jealous.

But this was much worse than last time, and much better…

Quil and Claire were on the couch, which annoyed me to no end. I think Quil did that on purpose, because he knew I had to sleep on it.

The next thing I noticed was that neither of them were in any more than their underwear. I was so furious that I almost phased right then and there and ripped Quil to shreds. But at the same time, I couldn't help but admire the view. Claire was fucking gorgeous. Her bare legs were sexy and smooth, and her bra drew my eyes to her chest. She didn't have ridiculously big boobs like Taylor Albright, but Claire's chest was the perfect size in comparison to her body.

I wanted to look away, because Quil was groping Claire's body and it was like a knife in my gut, but I couldn't stop staring at Claire. They didn't even notice us.

"You two sicken me," Embry groaned. Claire's eyes met mine across the room and she pushed Quil away.

"Shit!" She cursed, yanking a pillow out from behind her back to cover her bare chest.

_I'm definitely sleeping on that pillow. _

Quil's eyes narrowed as he turned to us, but the glare faltered quickly when he noticed me. Then he looked even more furious than before.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" He demanded.

"God, can we finish this conversation when everyone is clothed," Embry complained, shielding his eyes. I looked down at the floor.

"Quil, my shirt—" Claire breathed.

"Put mine on, I'll go get you another one in a second."

_What's wrong with the shirt she was wearing earlier?_

I couldn't stop myself from peeking up as Claire leaned over the side of the couch and reached out for Quil's t-shirt. Her boobs were right there, and it was hard not to. She pulled it over her head and then went for her jeans. Quil put his shorts on.

"Well, Mason, you found Claire. I hope you're happy because I'm pretty damn annoyed."

No one said anything, but Claire's face was redder than a tomato. She wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"What have I said about fucking on the couch?" Embry asked, sounding like a school teacher preparing to lecture his students.

"Don't do it?" Quil offered, keeping his eyes on me.

"Don't do it!" Embry shouted back. "I have to live here too, ya know!"

"Well can you not right now?" Quil grumbled, "Get out. Both of you, especially _you_," he nodded at me.

"Why aren't you in school?" Claire asked, finally glancing up at me.

"It ended. Like ten minutes ago."

"Crap!" Claire said, "It's that late already?" She hopped up, snapping the button on her jeans.

"Don't tell me you have to leave," Quil pleaded.

"I have to babysit Amelia!" She explained regretfully, running her fingers through her hair, which looked like it had Quil's hands in it earlier. I felt bile rise in my throat.

"She's ten years old!" Quil protested.

"Sam and Emily wouldn't trust Amelia home alone if she were thirteen. I mean, it's Amelia we're talking about."

I took some joy in the destroyed look on Quil's face. _Say goodbye to your girlfriend, Quil. You don't get to see her. I do. I can see her whenever I want. I see her five days a week._

"Well then I guess you probably need a shirt… that isn't mine," Quil sighed.

"Are they still in the top left drawer?" Quil nodded and Claire kissed him briefly before she disappeared down the hall.

Once she was out of sight, Quil stomped over to me and grabbed me by the shirt collar, "You _don't _look at Claire like that ever again, got it? And if I catch you thinking about what you saw later I'm going to smash your skull in."

"If you don't want me to see then maybe you shouldn't do it where I sleep. Or anywhere for that matter," I replied, not moving but meeting his vicious stare with one of my own.

"I'll kill you, Mason. I swear I will. She's mine. And if I catch you trying to pull anything funny with her I'll fucking kill you." His voice was low, and so incredibly calm that I believed him.

"Quil," Embry warned. "Claire's coming back."

Quil released me immediately and stepped back. _God forbid he show Claire his true horrible colors again! _

_At least I don't try and hide my jack-ass nature… _

A second later Claire re-appeared in a royal blue blouse with lace trimming on the sleeves. It was cute, but I preferred when she wore just her bra. I knew what I'd be dreaming of tonight…

"Everything okay?" She sounded worried. I wondered if the tension in the room was _that _obvious, or if Claire was just making conversation.

"Yeah," Quil said, keeping his eyes narrowed on me. "Everything's peachy."

Claire stepped in between us and wrapped her arms around Quil's neck. He didn't resist when she bent his head down and kissed him. I averted my eyes.

"Be nice," she whispered to him about thirty seconds later.

"I'm always nice," he replied. I couldn't contain my laughter.

"I'm serious, Quil," Claire said, sterner this time. He sighed and kissed her softly again.

"Of course you are," Quil sighed. "You always are."

"Come see me tonight," Claire pleaded.

"I'm tracking a vampire down," Quil reminded.

"Before then. I need more time with you."

Quil smiled at her and they kissed _again_. "Okay, I love you baby."

"Love you, too." She left.

Even after the words had been spoken they rung in my ears. Each time my brain recalled them made my stomach churn.

_I love you baby… Love you too._

Quil and Claire almost had sex on the couch. Quil wants to kill me. Claire loves Quil. This time, I didn't feel like I was going to be sick…

I fled to the bathroom and lost my lunch.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Being caught making out with Quil on the couch by Embry was enough… having Mason there was mortifying.

_Stop thinking about it, Claire. _I scolded myself as I pulled up at home. Well, my _old _home. Sam and Emily's house…

Amelia was sitting on the front steps, arms crossed. "You're late," she grumbled when I stepped out of the car. "I've been sitting out here for five whole minutes."

"Sorry, Melia," I apologized, patting her gently on the head.

"You have a car, shouldn't you make it home from school faster than me?"

"I had to drop Mason off," I explained while unlocking the door.

"You've dropped him off every day this week. But today you were extra late. Was Quil there? Is that what took you so long?"

_Damn know-it-all ten year old…_

"Do do you miss him?" She inquired.

"Of course, silly. I always miss him. He's my boyfriend."

"That's gross. You guys are always kissing. You're gonna get his wolf germs!"

I looked down at her. "Melia, there is no such thing as wolf germs. And if there were I probably would have already gotten them."

"You're infected!" Amelia squealed, jumping away. "Are you gonna turn into a wolf now, too?"

"There's no such thing as wolf germs, I told you. And if anyone is going turn into a wolf around here, it's going to be you, little pup."

Amelia's eyes widened. All week she had been asking all kinds of little questions about werewolves and magic and vampires. She was finally starting to learn about the world she lived in, and it seemed there wasn't a thing about it Amelia _didn't _want to know.

"Will I be like Leah and Mia?" She asked, half in fear, half in awe.

"Maybe. But I wouldn't worry about that just yet," I bounced my index finger off of her nose and she giggled. "Now, what do you want for a snack?"

I finally pulled up at home around five thirty. Eliza wasn't there. She and Lilly went out looking for Homecoming dresses. My own school's dance was tomorrow night, but I hadn't bought a ticket. Dances weren't my thing… at all. And without Quil it wouldn't be fun anyways.

"I'm home," I called as I walked through the door. If I expected Dad to say something, then I was wrong. With a shrug I deposited my school bag on the dining room table and trudged up the stairs. I couldn't wait for tonight, when Quil would come see me. Being wrapped in his arms earlier reminded me once again just how much I needed him. It reminded me why I was going through all this shit in my life. It was for him.

My bedroom door was ajar, even though I was sure it was closed when I left the house in the morning. My brows pulled together in confusion and I began to walk faster toward it. I came to a stop in the doorway.

Dad was sitting calmly on my bed, holding a devastatingly familiar packet of pills. _Oh shit._

"Claire," Dad began, struggling to keep his voice even, "What is this?"

"Birth control," I muttered, not meeting his eyes.

"And why do you have it?"

My mind reeled as I struggled to come up with a realistic excuse. But then I realized that lying would be a waste of breath when my father obviously already knew the answer.

"Because I have _sex_, Dad," I spat boldly. "Quil and I have sex. Or at least we did before you swooped in and ruined my entire life!"

Dad's jaw clenched as he threw the little packet across the room. "You are a child, Claire. You may think sixteen is mature, and that you're a grown up. But you're not. You're a child."

"You don't know me. You don't know Quil. Butt out of my life."

"You are my daughter, Claire!" He shouted, standing up, "You live under my roof and follow my rules! And I am _ordering_ you to never speak to that boy again!" I started to cry.

"News flash, jackass! I don't want to live under your roof or follow your goddamn rules! I hate you! You're not my father and I hate you!"

He didn't say anything to that. I don't know if he couldn't think of what to say, or just knew better than to say it. I didn't care.

"As much as you want to deny it, I am your father. And you are grounded until I say otherwise. From everything. Even Mason. After school come straight home. You can't go anywhere by yourself. And if you're planning on using the house phone it better only be to talk to Emily."

"If I can't be with Quil it doesn't matter what else you take from me. You took my happiness the day you showed up, so might as well take my freedom, too."

My father just sighed. "No need to be so melodramatic Claire."

"Fuck you," I spat.

"Claire Michelle Young!"

"What are you going to do, Dad? Ground me? You already did. Fuck you. I hate you. When I turn eighteen I'm going to marry Quil and never see you again. You're not invited to my wedding. You're not my real father. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you."

He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>Review Please. I'd love to hear your thoughts.<strong>


	42. A Promise, a Dance, and a Compromise

**Author's Note: Wow, it's been a whole month! Time flies when you're busy! And unfortunately, I've been crazy busy. And school starts tomorrow. *Tears* But, I'm very happy I finally got to finish this chapter. It's a transition chapter, and not my best work, but it is necessary for the next chapter, which is going to be a really good one. Also, you'll notice that these next few chapters are dominantly Eliza and Brady pov… It's their story too ya know ;)**

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

_Don't think about her. Don't you dare think about her. _I ordered myself over and over again.

But that was impossible.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget what day it was. The day of that stupid dance where stupid Eliza would be with that stupid boy doing stupid things.

It was all so fucking… stupid.

_Eliza. Eliza. Eliza. Eliza. Eliza. Eliza._

I once heard that if you say a word enough times it started to lose meaning. It just sounded like a random mesh of sounds… but no matter how many times I thought Eliza's name, no matter how many times I said it, it never lost its sharp, clear, edges. I said her name a million times and it never lost its ability to turn me to shreds.

It had been weeks since I'd seen her up close, weeks since we'd spoken, weeks since she'd acknowledged me in any way. At first I was just pissed off. I would say things like "Screw her, she's just a bratty teenage girl anyway. I'm so done with her." Then that rage turned to something much worse, despair. And I wouldn't say anything, I'd just drag myself through my life and wonder what was so wrong with me that I didn't see. What did Eliza dislike about me _that _much? Because surely, it had to be my fault she didn't want me. Something was wrong with _me_… not her. Despite what people said, I didn't think anything was wrong with Eliza.

Everyone thought I was just naïve, but I knew in my heart that there was more to Eliza than she let people see. I knew because I had seen small glimpses of it. And just those small peeks at the girl inside were enough to keep me stuck on her like a sheet of paper tacked on corkboard. Painful, but strong.

I couldn't stop caring for Eliza Young any easier than I could stop breathing, but unfortunately, Eliza hurt a while lot more than oxygen.

Or maybe I had that confused… maybe Eliza _was_ oxygen. Something wonderful, that most people took for granted. Something I needed in my life to survive. Without oxygen, I couldn't breathe. Without Eliza, I couldn't go on. But could I spend the rest of my life mourning over her? No, of course I couldn't. That was no way to live.

So there was really only one simple option. I had to find a way to get over her. To move on. To give up oxygen. I couldn't let a hot girl ruin my life. It didn't matter how amazing I thought she was, I couldn't stand to live like this anymore. The only way for all the aching to stop was to forget I even cared about her in the first place.

_Eliza Young is not important to me. I don't care about her in any way. I don't need her any more than she needs me. Eliza doesn't matter. She doesn't matter. _I drilled these thoughts through my head several thousand times, and wondered if maybe I was starting to believe they were true.

"Are you going to mope around the house all night?" Collin asked. He found me lying on the floor of the living room, staring up at the cracks in the ceiling. They may as well have been the cracks in my heart. _Stop thinking like that,_ I scolded. _Eliza is nothing to me. _

"None of your business," I answered moodily. I knew it wasn't right to take all of my negative energy out on Collin, but didn't know how to stop it.

"You've been like this for too long and it's pathetic. Get your lazy ass up off the floor and figure out a way to charm the pants off of this girl."

I turned to him with a puzzled and suspicious look. Since when did Collin want me to be with Eliza? Last time I checked, the only person who wanted to me to end up with her less than Collin did was Eliza herself.

That thought stung.

_Eliza doesn't matter! _I reminded myself.

"Eliza? I'm thinking I'm just going to forget about her. Then things wouldn't be so painful. We're not good for each other." The words left a horrible, bitter taste in my mouth.

"Yeah, I wish you would, trust me. But I know you bro, and you can't."

I scowled at him. "Yes, I can. I already have, as a matter of fact." Not totally true… but I wasn't going to admit to _that_.

Collin's face changed suddenly. "Okay," he shrugged. "Then come on, let's go get drunk and find some slutty women."

"What?" I demanded, sitting up fast.

"You say you're over Eliza, what better way to celebrate than to drink and get laid?"

He couldn't be serious. He expected me to go out, find some random girl, and sleep with her? Was he insane?

Then it hit me. Before Eliza, that was what I had done just about every single weekend, and I had never thought about it as wrong.

Now, the very idea of doing it made me feel sick to the deepest pit of my stomach. How could I be attracted to a single girl that wasn't her? That wasn't blonde-haired, green-eyed, pale-skinned, five foot five, and that crazy mix of sexy and intelligent…

I couldn't. I knew I couldn't.

But I needed to try. If I really wanted the pain to stop, I needed to try my hardest to expel her from my brain. To eliminate her importance in my heart.

"Fine," I mumbled, "Let's do this."

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

Homecoming came fifteen days after my first date with Marco. Since then, we had gone out again, to the movies. But so far, there was one thing we hadn't done… kissed. There were several opportunities to, and I'm sure Marco wanted to, but I felt myself shying away. It just felt… weird. My head reminded me that Marco and I were a couple, and couples kissed, but my heart kept screaming _DON'T KISS YOUR FRIEND! DON'T KISS YOUR FRIEND!_

That was the weird thing… We were dating, and I knew that I had fun with him, but when I was with Marco, I felt like I was hanging with Lilly. Or worse, I got those flashes of Collin. I would never date Collin. I would never kiss Collin.

_Marco isn't Collin! He's your boyfriend, idiot! _I scolded myself.

But why didn't it feel like he was my boyfriend? I liked Marco, I really did! He was funny and considerate and handsome and quirky in a cute way and—

And Brady was funny, and considerate, and handsome, and quirky in a cute way…

I shuddered.

I didn't like to hurt people. I didn't want to be mean for the sport of it. I didn't want to make people care about me just so I could crush them. That was Thaeo. I refused to be like Thaeo.

But the more I tried not to be like him, the more I seemed to act like him.

Maybe I couldn't be happy with Marco because of the guilt of knowing that every minute I was with him hurt Brady. I didn't care about Brady that way, but I didn't want him to hurt. I didn't want anyone to hurt because of me. _I did what I had to do. I did what I had to do. _I reminded myself. _It's for his own good. It's for his own good. _The doorbell rang, and I jumped up, smoothing out my dress before going to the door.

"You look hot," was the first thing Marco said upon seeing me.

"Thanks," I smiled, looking down at my dress. It was white and belted at the waist with rhinestones and all fringe at the bottom. The compliment should have made my face redden; it should have made me look down at my shoes bashfully. It didn't.

Dad cleared his throat behind me uncomfortably.

"I mean, you look lovely," Marco amended, looking over my shoulder at him.

"Nice save," I breathed.

Dad just kind of grumbled. "This dance ends at ten, right?"

"Yes sir," Marco replied politely. I smirked. No matter how popular he got, the nerd inside of him was still alive. _Quirky in a cute way._

"If she isn't home by ten thirty on the dot you'll never take her out again, understood?"

"Of course," Marco beamed at him, all of his teeth making an appearance.

Then we were gone. Once the door shut behind us, Marco flicked my ponytail. It was at almost the top of my head, and pin-straight. I know it was silly, but ever since Brady had commented about how he preferred my hair curly, I had straightened my hair every single morning. I flat-ironed him out of my mind.

"Don't flick me," I giggled, shoving his arm.

"And if I do?" He challenged.

"You can dance alone," I threatened with a laugh.

"Me? Alone? Impossible. The ladies are lining up to get a piece of this." He ran a hand over his chest, which was covered in a black button down shirt and black jacket. He was all black, and I all white. Even the tie was black. I liked it.

"Don't test me, Carnella," I warned, "I'll destroy you."

"A femme fatal," he mused lightly, "That's what you are."

"Les incompetent," I replied, "That's what _you _are."

"Come on, let's go dance."

After meeting up with Gaby and Travis at the Lodge for dinner and taking some pictures, we made our way over to the school as a group.

The gym was almost unrecognizable, with neon green and bright pink balloons floating everywhere and white streamers hanging from just about every possible surface. On a small platform was a DJ, and a small line of students who were probably making song requests. The whole gym was bathed in black light, causing everyone to glow. Glow sticks and necklaces were being passed around among the students. The whole scene made me think of a crazy futuristic nightclub. My white dress was especially glowing under the lights, just like I had intended it to.

And the entire room was moving. Hundreds of bodies bounced to the remix of some upbeat pop song. It seemed like the entire school had come to dance and have a good time. Some people danced together, holding each other much closer than was probably school appropriate, and others were clustered in groups and dancing with everyone and no one at the same time.

In the closest group a tall blonde danced in a tight red one-shoulder dress that fell half way to her knees and sparkled even in the darkness. Her hair fell loosely to her waist in ringlet curls.

_Wait… I know that girl._

"Is that _Lilly_?" Travis elbowed me. I didn't respond.

Then, almost as if she heard us—though that was impossible with the pounding bass of the music—the girl turned to us. And it _was _Lilly. In a tight, red, sexy dress. _When the hell did Lilly get a dress like _that?

Her eyes lit up and she waved, reaching into the group of dancers and plucking out a shorter caramel skinned girl in a dress with a black shiny bust and a hot pink tutu-esque bottom. Jasmine.

"Hey guys!" Lilly said, coming to a stop in front of us. "You're here!"

"Hey Lilly, you look… amazing," Travis said, and I imagined drool slipping down his chin. Everyone thought he was going to ask Lilly to the dance, but then at the last minute he had surprised us all by asking Gaby.

"You too, Jaz," Marco added, looking over Lilly's shoulder at Jasmine. Marco always tried to make everyone feel included and special.

_He's so considerate! Be attracted to him! _I silently ordered.

Jasmine blushed and looked down at her shoes.

After the standard "you look so good" compliments and the "how was dinner" mundane questions, Travis and Jasmine broke off to go find Camille, who had ditched us in favor of the sophomores.

"Want to dance?" Marco asked in my ear, placing his hands on my hips from behind. I leaned in to him slightly and inhaled his cologne.

"Sure," I replied, removing one of his hands from my hips and taking it in my own.

As I first observed, the dance floor was packed, and the heat of three hundred moving bodies pressed in on me almost instantly. The high school dances portrayed in movies never mentioned how easy it was to get sweaty. I took a moment to thank God my hair was pulled away into a ponytail. We had been dancing for maybe two songs when I noticed Marco wasn't looking at me, but over my shoulder, a small frown on his face. I turned ninety degrees to glance over my shoulder at what caught his interest.

It was Jasmine, leaning against the wall by the doors talking to some older guy. When I glanced back at Marco, his frown had deepened.

"Something wrong?" I shouted over the music.

He shook his head and looked back at me, forcing a smile. "Nothing," he assured, pulling me closer to him. Though embers of the fire that had been burning behind his eyes moments ago still lingered.

Why did he care that Jasmine was talking to a guy? Was he jealous? It occurred to me that Marco and Jasmine had always been very friendly with each other, but if Marco really liked Jasmine he would have asked her out, not me. Right?

Maybe I should have been angry, or jealous, or threatened, but I was really just curious. And _that_ was what actually worried me.

_Marco is your guy. You like Marco. _

Why was it my brain that kept telling me this… when it should have gone without saying? Why didn't I feel that in my heart?

_Sometimes life is much too confusing. _

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

_She froze. There. A movement so tiny it was hardly a movement at all. The flutter of an eyelash. She leaned forward, almost overbalancing, and pressed her hand against the torn_ _scarlet material over his chest, as if she could heal the wound she had made. She felt instead—so wonderful that for a moment it made no sense to her, could not possibly be—under her fingertips, the rhythm of his heart. _

_Epilogue._

"Damn it," I cursed under my breath. Another book read. I was painfully close to the bottom of my re-reading pile. And when I ran out of books, I had no idea what I would do.

I was burning in a living hell. Eight days of grounding so strict I was practically in an orange jumpsuit. I'd been going through each day almost robotically. Wake up. Get dressed. Don't acknowledge Dad during breakfast. Go to school. Come home. Do homework. Eat dinner. Read. Go to bed.

Even though I had free-run of the house, I refused to leave my room for anything other than bathroom breaks. Eliza had made a habit of just leaving a dinner plate outside my door every night. Because I wouldn't—couldn't—look at my father, let alone sit across the table from him.

It wasn't totally horrible, Quil _had_ secretly visited me twice, but that was beside the point. My father was trying to destroy everything that mattered to me, that was the real issue. My father was trying to change me to fit into a mold that I could never fit. Earning his acceptance would mean losing Quil. And losing Quil would be losing everything.

So I reacted to my punishment like a child. Not looking at my father, talking to my father, or even breathing in his direction. I'd already told him everything I needed to say, and anything else was unnecessary.

He'd tried at first… to act as if I hadn't screamed that I hated him. But I was an ice queen, and now, whenever he tried to say something to me, he froze up. _Good. _If he said one thing, one single thing, I would leave. I would walk out, find Quil, and I. Would. Leave.

I was sixteen years old. I didn't need a father I barely knew to baby me. Quil could take care of me. We could go anywhere, be anyone.

My daydreams of escape were interrupted by a gentle knocking on my bedroom door. Eliza was at homecoming, meaning it could only be one person. I groaned and chucked the hardcover book in my hands at the door. When there was no sound outside the door, I thought my hostile message had been received, but then the door squeaked open.

I leaned over to the floor at the foot of my bed and scooped up the book I finished the night before last, ready to throw that one at his face instead. He held out his hands cautiously.

"Can we talk?" He asked calmly.

I glared at him in response, my eyes narrowed to slits.

"Please," he added.

"Get out of my room, unless you're trying to take this away from me, too," I spat.

"Last week you explained exactly how you felt about this situation. All I ask is that you let me."

"I don't owe you anything."

Anthony sighed and walked further into my room anyway.

_When did he become Anthony? When did he stop being Dad? _

And then it occurred to me that—blood be damned—he hadn't been my dad since I was five years old.

"I want to compromise," he said anyway. "About the Quil situation."

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

"I'm having a lot of fun with you, tonight," Marco told me, twirling a piece of hair on my ponytail. We had left the hot gym minutes before, and were now on the school's front steps, getting some fresh air. The idea of being alone with him didn't make me as nervous as it probably should have. It was a comfortable intimacy.

"Same," I mumbled, looking above his eyes rather than into them. He scooted a little closer to me, putting his jacketed arm around my shoulders, which were completely bare. I leaned into him in the way friends often do, enjoying the comfort of his presence.

Suddenly, I felt the warmth of Marco's lips grazing my cheek. My body stiffened, and I turned to him, not sure what to say. I didn't get the chance to say anything, though, because he took my reaction as a sign to kiss me on the lips. My heart sank as I realized that I really felt nothing. No spark, no butterflies, just his warm, moist lips on mine.

I wanted so desperately to feel more than friendly feelings for Marco, so I opened my mouth to him, giving him a chance to deepen the kiss. He took it, and still I felt nothing, though I did notice his hand slide from my shoulder to the small of my back. I placed my hand on the back of his neck and ran my fingers through the soft curls just at the nape if it.

I could almost imagine then that Marco was someone else, someone who I had genuine feelings for, someone I could see myself being with, when something unexpected happened. He laughed.

The sound of his laughter made me join in, and the kiss broke. "I'm sorry," he apologized once his laughter settled, "I just can't do this."

My immediate response was relief. I wasn't the only one who felt weird about this!

"I can't either," I admitted, "It's too weird."

"Wait, then why did you agree to go out with me?" Marco looked puzzled.

"Why did you ask?" I countered. Marco bit his lip, his eyes sliding back to the school doors.

"Well, uh, you noticed how Travis follows Lilly around everywhere? It's cause he totally has it bad for her."

"I think everyone has noticed that."

"Except Lilly," Marco said, "She barely acknowledges him. And Travis thought maybe if we were dating, he could convince Lilly to double with us."

"That's not why you asked me though," I told him, studying his face carefully.

"Well, uh… I may have wanted to make Jasmine jealous. But she seems just as oblivious to male attention as Lilly. Are they lesbian?"

I smacked his arm—_hard. _He recoiled immediately, frowning at me. "What was that for?" He pouted.

"For accusing my friends of being lesbian, for intentionally trying to make my friend upset and jealous, and for using me to do it!" I said, glaring at him even though I felt no true anger. Hadn't I done almost the same thing?

"When you say it like that, I feel like an ass hole," Marco admitted.

"You are," I told him bluntly. "If you really like Jasmine, man up and ask her out! Travis's little scheme could work just as easily with Jasmine. So why didn't you just ask her in the first place?"

"Hey, I've answered enough of your questions, I want to know why you agreed to go out with me if you don't like me."

I fell silent. _Honesty, or question-dodging? _

"I was hoping that maybe I _would _start to like you, and get this other guy out of my head. And I hoped that maybe if I was with you, this other guy would give up. But I realized something recently… I don't know if I want him to."

"So basically, you used me and I used you?" Marco clarified. I nodded.

"In that case, I say we're both huge ass-holes," he decided.

"Agreed."

"But we're friends, right?" He asked.

I smiled at him, because at that moment, the thought of having Marco back as my friend seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world.

"Always."

Upon re-entering the gym, I found a familiar face alone by the punch bowl. A pretty brunette with hazel eyes that were always hard and reflective, preventing anyone from looking into them. Camille. I made my way over to her.

She looked good, but that wasn't a surprise. Camille believed that every day was a fashion show, and she was the model. Of course Homecoming would be no exception. Her dress was silver, and shimmered brilliantly under the lights, and she had the attention of maybe fifteen boys floating nearby, but Camille looked absolutely bored.

"Hey," I greeted when it was clear she wasn't going to notice my arrival.

She turned to me slightly, her face barely changing. "Nice dress," she said.

"Thanks," I looked around, none of her admirers were her date, "Where's Josh?"

Camille shrugged, "He disappeared almost a half hour ago. I don't care though, I'm so over him. Where's Marco?"

I looked over my shoulder and smiled, he was sitting at a table, talking animatedly to Jasmine. "He's around," I replied, a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.

"Hey, your birthday party is next weekend, right?" She asked, a new light filling her eyes.

I nodded. In seven more days I'd be turning fifteen, and my dad had given me permission to throw a party on Second Beach, as long as he, Sam, and Emily were allowed to go.

"You should invite that Brady guy, from the beach," Camille suggested.

I stiffened. "Why?"

"He's hot and I'm single, do the math," she smirked, and it caused an uneasiness to churn in my stomach. I may be no good for Brady, but Camille was the only person I could think of who was worse.

"But I've already sent out invites," I said, struggling for any excuse I had.

"Well text him! And tell him to bring a friend too, in case you get bored with Marco."

Instead of telling her that Marco and I weren't a couple anymore, and I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than be romantically involved with Collin, I just sighed and pulled my phone out of my purse.

_This can only lead to trouble…_

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

"I'm so happy I met you," the girl mumbled in between kisses. I didn't say anything in response. Collin and I were at one of the few clubs in Port Angeles, and he had disappeared nearly forty-five minutes ago when he went off to dance with some ginger, leaving me all alone. Shortly after he left, the wolves descended. And by wolves, I don't mean Quil, Embry, Danny, or Austin, I mean crazy, slutty, drunk girls with fake nails like claws that they were just dying to dig into you with.

I should have enjoyed all the attention. The old me would have. But it was becoming more and more obvious that the old me was long lost, and I had no idea how to find him. The only girl who had managed to catch even a fraction of my attention all night was the girl I was making out with in the short hallway where the restrooms were. Why had this girl stood out? Because she had fucking curly blonde hair, deep green eyes, and angelic features. She was the closest thing in the shithole club that I could compare to Eliza. Apparently, I had a sick fetish for young blondes. If she told me her name I couldn't remember it.

The girl slipped her hand under the hem of my shirt and ran her fake nails over my abs. I grit my teeth and tried to convince myself I liked it, but it actually just annoyed me. Drunk off her ass or not, wasn't she being a little touchy for such a public place? I tried to shake off the feeling and grabbed her legs, hoisting her up to put her legs around my waist and bringing her to rest against the wall. If I wanted to get back to the old me, I had to stop holding back.

The girl's tongue tasted my mouth wildly, and I noticed without trying what a sloppy kisser she was. Even when Eliza was trying to push me away and hitting me, she was much better than this girl.

The fact that I had picked a girl out of the crowd who looked like Eliza just so I could try to imagine it was her was all kinds of messed up, and now I realized totally impossible. No one could ever compare to Eliza. Everyone else was a horrible disappointment. But what was I supposed to do? Be miserable forever?

The girl twisted her fingers into my hair and pulled roughly. I'm not sure why she thought trying to pull my hair out was sexy. Eliza would—

_Stop!_

I tried my hardest to quell my thoughts. Eliza Young no longer existed in my life. I would never kiss her like I was kissing this girl. I would never kiss her, period.

The thought nearly made me fall back into depression, but I refused to go there. I refused to let Eliza dominate my life.

Then I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I was going to ignore it at first, but I knew that if I kissed this girl a minute longer I would probably be sick, so I broke the kiss but kept her on my hips.

"One second," I apologized, reaching for the phone. She made a girly _hmph! _sound and rolled her eyes.

One new text message, my phone alerted me. I opened it and my mouth went dry.

_Hey Brady, just reminding you that my birthday party is next Saturday afternoon. Hope to see you and the rest of the pack there! Second Beach at 4:00. No presents please. –Eliza_

Without thinking, I released the girl in my arms and let her fall clumsily to her feet.

"Hey! What's your deal?" She whined.

"Sorry, but I can't do this, June," I said, not caring if June was her name at all. It did sound kind of like she'd said her name was June…

"My name is Sara, asshole," she huffed, slapping me and storming away. _Oops._

I couldn't admit it. I wouldn't admit it. But I knew it was true. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I fought it, Eliza undeniably dominated my life. I was completely at her beck and call, for better or for worse.

And in her case, I was almost certain it would be the latter.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Compromise. The word made my eyes turn from narrowed slits to saucers in less than a second. What did he mean, compromise? He had made it fairly clear where he stood with Quil, and so had I. So what was there to compromise? And why did he want to?

"You what?" I didn't mean to talk, to give him that satisfaction, but I couldn't stop myself.

"Claire, you and I both know that I am not a fan of Quil, and especially not your relationship with him, but I don't want you to hate me, I want you to feel at home here."

My stomach was doing nervous flips inside my stomach. Where the hell was he going with this?

"So?"

"So if you're willing to give me a second chance, I'm willing to give him a second chance."

Without hesitation, I squealed with delight and threw my arms around my father.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

He gently pried me away. "There are conditions, though, Claire. Quil can come here, but you can't go over to his house. You can only see him between five and seven o'clock on school nights, and on weekends your curfew is nine."

Anything was better than nothing, so I nodded enthusiastically.

"And can I have my phone back?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out my cell phone, "You're ungrounded."

"You don't even know how much this means to me, how much he means to me, thank you."

"I think I'm starting to. Oh, and two other things. If you're going out with him, you need to be with a group or at least with another person. I don't trust you two alone and unsupervised. And if I find out that the two of you are continuing to have a sexual relationship the deal is off."

I sighed, but nodded anyway. I was so incredibly surprised I could barely think straight. It occurred to me that maybe I should have apologized for saying I hate him, but I didn't feel sorry about it, and it's not like he had apologized for judging Quil unfairly.

"Also, don't expect me to acknowledge him at all. I'm doing this for you, not for him. You can be over the moon for him all you want, but I don't have to like it."

I smiled. "Okay. Can I call Quil now?"

Anthony nodded, "Sure, but it's already past nine so you'll have to wait to see him till tomorrow."

I looked at the clock, it was exactly five minutes after nine. "You waited to come talk to me on purpose, didn't you?"

He attempted to keep a poker face, "Maybe."

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><p><strong>A quick disclaimer, the book Claire read in this chapter was City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, I do not own it or claim to own it. <strong>


	43. Crappy Birthday!

**Author's Note: Yay! Another chapter a week after the first one! To be honest, this could have been posted on Tuesday if I hadn't gotten so caught up reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. This is one of my favorite chapters in the entire story and I've been wanting to write it for probably six months. In fact, I was so excited I wrote nine pages last Sunday, the same day I posted Ch. 42. BE WARNED: This chapter is solely about Eliza's story, and if you hate Eliza, I'm sorry, but I still think you will really enjoy this chapter ;)**

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><p><em>Eliza<em>

On October fifth I woke up fifteen years old. It really felt no different than fourteen, just like fourteen had felt no different than thirteen. When you were a teenager, only two birthdays really mattered, sixteen and eighteen. I was just fifteen. A girl to some, a woman to others.

Quil and Claire were standing over me when I opened my eyes in the morning—Claire with a camera and Quil with a slice of cake. It was a tradition in our family ever since Claire and I were little girls, so I was ready when Claire quickly snapped a picture.

"It's not fun anymore," she pouted. "Now before your birthday you purposely do your hair and sleep in nice pajamas."

"She means happy birthday," Quil smiled, handing me the cake and fork.

"Thanks, where's Dad?" I asked, glancing around to see if maybe he was behind them and I couldn't see.

"Setting up at Second Beach with Uncle Sam and Auntie Emily," Claire said.

"I bet _that's _going well," Quil mused sarcastically.

Claire giggled and slapped his arm lightly. Ever since he had been allowed back inside the house, Quil and Claire were spending just about every minute they could together. Quil tried to say he was just watching over her, but we all knew he was just thrilled to be able to spend time with Claire again where he wasn't sneaking through her bedroom window.

"Can I see my picture?" I held out a hand to Claire.

"No, it looks too good. I didn't even catch you by surprise."

"It's not my fault, cameras just love me."

"Just wait, Liza. I'm going to get you when you least expect it!"

"Ooh, I'm so scared," I smiled.

"Shut up, you fifteen year old brat," Claire smiled too.

That afternoon was the party on the beach, and basically everyone I knew, both family friends and school friends had been invited. A lot of kids at my school would have thought it was weird to invite adults and little kids to my party, but I couldn't care less. Just because someone wasn't the same age as me didn't mean I didn't care about them.

A particular face flooded my brain at that thought, and I shook my head to clear it away. _Not him, _I told myself.

I would not consider how I felt about _him_, because it didn't matter. We would never, _ever_ be a thing. End of story.

"Is there a bug in your ear?" The voice of a little boy asked. I looked down to find Paul and Rachel's oldest son Tanner standing right in front of me. He was six (or was it seven now?) and completely adorable.

"What? Why would you ask that?" I said, leaning down and putting my hands on my knees to get eye-level with him.

"You were shaking your head a lot, I thought maybe a bug was trying to fly into your ear."

A flush rose to my cheeks, and I stood up straight, unable to look the little boy in the eyes. How embarrassing that he had noticed my head-shaking.

"Eliza!" Gaby squealed. I left Tanner without a word and made my way over to Gaby and Camille, who were just arriving.

"Happy birthday!" She enthused, handing me a silver wrapped box.

"Didn't I specify no presents?" I accused, smiling and accepting the gift anyway.

"I tried to tell her," Camille shrugged. She was of course empty-handed. I had said no presents because I didn't want people to think I had invited a bunch of people just so I could get loads of gifts, but a good portion of people had brought gifts anyways. Of course Camille hadn't tried to be thoughtful and get something, or maybe she was being thoughtful by not getting me anything. I got the feeling she wouldn't have given me anything anyway.

_Why am I criticizing her so much? _I wondered idly.

"You'll forgive me when you open it, chica!" Gaby beamed.

"Thanks," I said.

"So, where's McHottie?" Camille asked, stepping to the side and looking behind me into the mass of people. I didn't need to look. I knew exactly where Brady was standing. I had been aware of his presence for the past hour, since he and the pack had arrived. We'd exchanged an awkward hello and that had been it.

"_Brady _is down by the water with the pack… of friends he hangs out with," I bit my tongue. _Stupid! _

"Are they all as sexy as him?"

"Pretty much," I said, not denying the fact that he was attractive. I could notice that Brady was attractive without feeling anything for him, right?

"Then what the hell are we waiting for!" Gaby practically jumped out of her pants, grabbing Camille by the wrist and dragging her over to the water's edge. I followed behind them, rolling my eyes at how boy-crazed they were.

He was still there, where he was the last time I had seen him, and Collin, Danny, Mason, Nolan, Grayson, Lilly, Embry, Quil, and Claire were with him. Since none of Claire's school friends were there, and none of mine other than Lilly knew who Quil was, they had decided it was safe to act like a couple, and were holding hands happily. Mason was ignoring them almost as hard as I was ignoring Brady.

"The birthday queen has graced us with her presence!" Proclaimed Nolan with a grin. "And brought friends. To what do we owe this spectacular honor?"

I glared at him and he chuckled. "You're always so friendly," he added.

"Guys, this is Camille and Gaby, Camille and Gaby, this is Nolan, Grayson, Danny, Mason, Embry, Quil, and Collin. And then you know Lilly, Claire, and Brady." His name left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Hey again," Brady waved, showing off his lady-killing grin. _Wait, since when did he have one of those?_

"Hi there," Camille smiled seductively. I resisted the urge to gag at her obvious and shameless flirting.

"Eliza, I was starting to think your only friend was Lilly, why have you been hiding the rest of them?" Danny smirked, eyeing Gaby appreciatively.

"Because you'd corrupt them," I shrugged.

"Too late," Camille laughed. Gaby high fived her.

"You're hot," Danny shared, taking a step toward Gaby.

"You're forward," she replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder and batting her eyelashes.

"Hey, anyone else smell food?" Grayson perked up. Him and Nolan raced over to the food table at a human pace as Sam set down a platter of burgers.

"Oh dear, there's going to be no food left for anyone else after they're done," Claire noted.

"Let's go," Quil guided her after them.

"So Brady," Camille said, "I hear you work at that yogurt place on The Avenue."

"Yeah, with me, his best friend," Collin added, almost stepping between Camille and Brady, but not quite.

"Collin hates being ignored," Embry laughed.

Danny started a conversation with Gaby, and I noticed Camille was starting to talk to Brady. That made me feel uncomfortable, but before I could intervene Mason came over to stand by me.

"Jealousy is a bitch, huh?" He whispered under his breath, his words tickling the inside of my ear.

I whipped my head in his direction and shot a glare so ferocious it could make a tiger cry for its mother, mouthing the words "not jealous" rather than speaking them. He bit back a smile and nodded, clearly not believing me.

"So then I asked Marco—" Camille was in the middle of some story. Brady stiffened.

"Where is Lover Boy at, Eliza? Couldn't find time to come to your party?"

"For your information, Marco and I aren't even dating anymore," I retorted.

"How quickly young love doth fade," Brady commented, giving me a look I couldn't decipher. Why did I feel like his words had a double meaning? What was he implying?

"Anyway," Camille said, sliding her fingers across Brady's wrist like she owned him, "Marco said that he met you and I was like, wow, that's so cool. Small world huh? Like, what are the odds you'd be here today?"

"Pretty big considering you told me to invite him, Camille," I replied calmly, cocking my head to the side and smiling.

Eliza: 1. Camille: 0.

I put on my best innocent girl face while Camille gave me the evil-eye.

"Oh, that's why you invited me? I thought you finally had a moment of clear judgment and realized I'm the coolest guy you know," Brady stated arrogantly.

"Fat chance," I laughed drily.

"Brr, is it cold out here or is it just the two of you?" Collin chuckled.

"Want to be cold? Go take a nap on the ocean floor. Permanently," I suggested.

"Eliza, for these people being your friends, it doesn't seem like you guys are very friendly," Gaby observed. Lilly snorted.

"Nah, we all love each other. Especially some of us in particular," Collin explained, wrapping his arms around me in a big bear-hug. I elbowed him hard in the chest.

Camille and Gaby shared a confused glance.

"Hey guys," Marco greeted as he and Jasmine approached our group.

"Hey Marc, hey Jaz, where's Travis?" Lilly asked, trying to dispel some of the tension.

"He got a ride here with his step-mom and Jamie. I think they're over there talking to Nolan."

I had nearly forgotten that Nolan and Jamie's mom had married Travis Newton's dad almost six years ago. The Newton's plus Nolan's mom didn't interact with us in La Push very much at all, they were Forks people.

"Hey man," Collin nodded at Marco.

"Whoa, cool to see you not wearing a yogurt apron." There was an awkward silence. "Oh, I almost forgot! Here," Marco handed me an envelope and then gave me a massive hug. "Happy Birthday! I'm still older than you."

"Thanks," I looked over his shoulder at Brady as I hugged him. He looked quite annoyed. _Good. That's what you get for talking to Camille._

It was probably unhealthy for me to be in such a pissy mood on my birthday.

"You guys want to play a game?" Gaby asked, perking up.

"I'm seventeen, isn't that a little old for games?" Danny questioned.

"You're never too old to play truth or dare!" Camille smiled wickedly.

"Well I am," Embry said. "See you later," he spoke only to Lilly and she smiled at him as he walked away.

"Truth or dare? Sounds fun, what could _possibly _go wrong?" Collin said.

Famous last words.

We went over to get Travis so he wouldn't be left out and then headed to a part of the beach out of my father's line of sight. Danny ditched us to eat with Mia, but not before winking at Gaby. Once we found a good location, Gaby, Camille, Jasmine, Marco, Travis, Lilly, Collin, Mason, Brady and I sat in a circle on the sand. I sat as far away as I could from Brady without being directly across from him, which put Gaby, Jasmine, and Camille between us on one side, and Collin, Mason, Marco, Travis, and Lilly between us on the other. He wasn't directly in my line of sight, so I was satisfied.

"Who starts?" Travis asked.

"I will," Collin suggested eagerly. "Lilly, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she said. Lilly was always braver with her honesty than her actions, so the choice didn't surprise me.

"Who do you like more, Eliza or Embry?"

She frowned. "That's an invalid question. They're both my best friends, and they both have a special place in my heart."

"Fine," Collin huffed.

Lilly scanned the circle with her eyes. "Gaby, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" She clapped her hands together excitedly.

"I dare you to go get Danny's number," Lilly challenged. Gaby stoop up without a word and boldly marched toward him and Mia.

"While she's gone," Camille said, "Brady, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Brady looked straight into her eyes, reminding me of the intense looks he used to give me.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" She asked.

"Definitely," Brady answered, the lady killing smile in full swing. My gut twisted.

"Camille, truth or dare?" Brady didn't stop looking at her.

"Dare, of course."

"I dare you to kiss me."

I turned to stare at him in open-mouthed shock as Camille shamelessly flung her arms around Brady's neck and stuck her tongue in his mouth.

Eliza: 1 Camille: 1000000000

It occurred to me that I had never seen Brady kiss another girl before, and I didn't like it. But that was probably just because it was Camille, and Camille was a snake. It wasn't because I was jealous, I was just trying to look out for Brady.

_Not jealous, not jealous, not jealous._ I had to look away from Camille and her whore self. I couldn't stand to see her kissing my—kissing _Brady_ for another second.

Collin made a gagging noise, and Brady finally pulled away. I wondered if Collin felt as nauseous as I did.

Gaby returned a second later, a bright smile on her face. "He asked me to dinner next weekend, too! And he's seventeen," gushed Gaby.

"You go girl," Camille smiled, high-fiving her best friend while I considered both throwing up and giving Camille a high five myself… on her face.

"Okay, well, Mason, truth or dare," Collin raised an eyebrow.

"Dare."

"Go over and give Quil a big hug," Collin's teeth made an appearance as he smiled mischievously.

"Let's go with truth," Mason amended.

"Fine, ugh. Um, what's the stupidest thing you've ever done?"

"Come back to this hell-hole of a state," Mason replied bitterly. And then: "Eliza, truth or dare?"

"Dare," I told him, forcing a smile on my face because I now had everyone in the circle's attention.

"I dare you to kiss someone in the circle."

Several scenarios ran through my head at once. I could kiss Marco, just to piss Brady off. But I could tell Jasmine liked him and didn't want to upset her. I could kiss Brady, just so Camille's satisfied smile would get slapped off her face, I could kiss Mason, because I knew Brady didn't like him.

But no, I wanted Brady to hurt. To really hurt. I was enraged at him for kissing Camille like that and I wanted him to feel just as bad as I did. I needed someone to feel as bad as I felt, so I hit him where I knew it would hurt the most. I turned to my right, and kissed Collin right on the lips. It didn't matter at that point that I didn't like Collin that way, that he was like an annoying brother I couldn't get off my case, I kissed him like he was Channing Tatum or some other sexy movie god who I was totally in love with.

Collin seemed surprised as hell the second my lips touched his, and I don't think the surprise faded even when I pulled away. When I sat back down on my butt, I looked across the circle at Brady to see his eyes burning.

_Take that, douche bag, _I thought triumphantly.

"This game sucks, let's play something else," Brady said, practically through his teeth.

"Never have I ever is always a fun one," Jasmine smiled. "Even though I never put down a finger."

"Okay, let's play never have I ever," I agreed,

"What the hell is never have I ever?" Collin asked, a somewhat goofy look on his face.

"Everyone holds up ten fingers. We take turns saying something that we've never done. If you _have _done what they haven't you have to put down a finger."

"Isn't that a drinking game?" Mason scratched his head.

"Do we _look _old enough to drink?" Travis asked rhetorically.

"I'll start!" Lilly offered enthusiastically. "I'm so good at this game."

"If you consider never doing anything winning," Camille rolled her eyes.

Lilly rolled her eyes back and we all held up ten fingers. "Never have I ever went to the principal's office."

The only people with all ten fingers left were Jasmine, Marco, and Lilly.

"My my, Collin. I thought you're on the honor roll," I shook my head back and forth slowly.

"Doesn't mean I don't have a little fun," he attempted to smile at Brady, but he wouldn't meet Collin's eyes.

"My turn! Never have I ever been rejected by a girl," Travis boasted. Mason, Brady, Marco, and Collin all out a finger down.

"Haha, Marco, now I have more fingers up than you," Jasmine giggled.

"Never have I ever been half black," Marco said. Jasmine actually cursed as she put a finger down.

Next was Mason. I didn't think to be worried until it was too late. "Never have I ever made out with Eliza Young… five times."

Brady shot daggers at Mason with his eyes before slowly letting another finger fall. Camille made a little gasping noise and looked between Brady and I with a mask of shock on her face. I was both satisfied and mortified.

Collin didn't help at all. "Never have I ever made out with Brady while wearing a bikini."

Lilly was rolling in the sand laughing. I whacked Colin on the arm with the back of my hand before lowering my second finger. Camille's face went from white to red, and I didn't make eye contact with her.

Then it was my turn. "Never have I _ever _been attracted to Brady Fuller," I said sharply. "Ever."

Brady mumbled something that sounded like a snide comment under his breath, but I didn't catch it. Tension hung heavy in the air. I looked up when I remembered that we were actually playing the game still, and Camille and Gaby were both lowering a finger, Gaby giggling, and Camille dead silent.

Jasmine lightened the mood by going next. "Never have I ever been arrested," she said.

"Damn it," Mason muttered, "Do you have to put down a finger for each time you have?"

Jasmine laughed. "Just one, you bad boy." Mason shrugged and put down his finger.

Next was Gaby "Never have I ever made out with a sibling."

Everyone looked at her strangely. "The point is to try and get _other _people to put down a finger, not to say the weirdest thing that comes to mind," Collin laughed.

"Well, I haven't," she shrugged.

Camille's turn was next, I swallowed hard, not sure what she would say. I could feel her eyes digging into me like a bird's talons.

"Never have I ever made out with a guy _and _his best friend, because only sluts do that."

"I've been called worse," Gaby sang, putting down a finger. I did the same thing, but silently, with my head down.

My stomach churned when I realized that it was Brady's turn to say something. Thankfully, he took a totally different route. "Never have I ever tried to steal a girl from my own cousin," he said. I didn't look at him, but was sure his eyes were on Mason, same as mine.

Mason scowled and let another finger drop. He was down to six. I was at seven. Then it was back to Lilly.

"Never have I ever been called a bitch," she stated. _Crap! _I was down to five. Camille, Gaby, and randomly Collin, also lowered a finger.

Travis went with the standard "Never have I ever had sex" which brought Mason down to five fingers and Brady and Collin to six.

Marco exclaimed, "Never have I ever had a crush on Marco!"

I went from seven fingers to six, and Jasmine went to eight. Marco looked at her and smiled widely, causing her to blush.

Mason apparently didn't like how Brady called him out, because he went with, "Never have I ever been into a girl who was a lot younger than me."

Brady flipped him off. Mason rolled his eyes and said, "No, Brady, you put a finger _down_ if it applies to you, you don't put another one back up."

"Well, anyway!" Collin interrupted quickly. "Uh, never have I ever thought I was in love."

I didn't look up, because I didn't want to see anyone lower a finger. I thought of Thaeo, and knew that I technically should have let one of my own fingers drop, but that would just cause questions I would never be ready to answer.

My turn came back, and my head went blank. What could I say that wouldn't be totally stupid? "Never have I ever—"

"What are you kids doing over here?" I was grateful when I heard Paul's voice from behind.

"Kids? I am not a kid, Paul," Mason huffed.

"That's Coach Lahote to you," Paul smirked.

"We're just having a little fun," Gaby curled a piece of hair around her finger.

"Then why are so many people frowning?" Paul inquired.

"Ugh, don't you have anywhere to be right now?" I snapped.

"Actually, I do. At the party. Why don't you all come back and join us so we can cut the cake?"

We all stood and began to follow him back to the main group. I finally made eye contact with Camille, who was still glaring at me, and communicated silently that I needed to talk to her. That just made her eyes even narrower and more fiery.

After cake was passed around, Collin pulled me away before I got the chance to get Camille's attention.

"Do I even need to ask?" He said the moment we were out of earshot from the others.

"Let me guess, 'Why the hell did you kiss me?'" I presumed.

"No, why are you dragging me into yours and Brady's lovers' war!" He growled. "I'm trying to help, not to be a tool at your disposal. I'm more than just a pair of lips you know! And Brady is my best friend."

"First of all, _you_ are the one trying to meddle in _my_ personal life. Second of all, Brady and I are not and will never be lovers! Third of all, Brady can't be _that _angry, he kissed Camille first, so whatever." I tried not to sound hurt, even though I kind of was.

"If I get choked in my sleep I am going to haunt you until the day you die, you know that right? I just made out with my best friend's girl!"

"I'm. Not. His. Girl. And besides, I kissed you, so why should you need to defend yourself?"

"Well, I didn't exactly stop you," Collin winked. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't expect it to ever happen again."

"Unless, of course, you're trying to rub it in Brady's face," Collin corrected in his little smart-ass way.

"I wasn't trying to make him jealous!" I defended quickly.

"I never said you were, Blondie. But I'm pretty sure you just did."

_Oops._

"Not at all. You're just the only person in the circle it wouldn't have been awkward to kiss, because I know it wouldn't mean anything to you."

"Like kissing an extremely attractive catfish," Collin nodded.

"Extremely attractive, hmm?"

"Oh God, that's going to go straight to your head," Collin sighed. "Whatever, we'll talk later. Brady keeps peeking over here and giving me the stink eye, so I got to go. I swear you're going to be the death of our friendship," he barged away.

I met Lilly's eyes randomly from across the beach, and she smiled at me. I didn't expect her to come over—because she was sitting with Embry—and she didn't, but just her smile was enough to lift my mood. I considered going over to sit with them, but then Camille called my name and motioned me over. She was smiling.

_What the hell? _

I hesitantly made my way over to her and Gaby, not letting my guard down for a second. I didn't trust Camille one bit, and a smile on her face was equivalent to a smile on mine: completely meaningless.

"Hey," I greeted uncertainly upon reaching them.

"So, Gaby and I have talked and I've decided to forgive you."

_Forgive me? Like I even did anything!_ She had no right to be mad at me for kissing Brady! I knew him _way _better than her!

"I meant what I said about not being attracted to him," I clarified. "He's really desperate and creepy which is why I would never date him. He kept trying to get with me and I kept turning him down cause he's a creep. I didn't tell you that he was into me because I didn't want to make you feel awkward." Maybe I was being really bitchy, but come on! She should have been asking me for forgiveness, not granting mine.

_There is nothing she needs to apologize for either, idiot. Brady isn't yours and you aren't his! Isn't that what you always insist? _My brain reprimanded.

"Well, I walked up at the perfect time," Brady mused, "Really Liza, you're just the sweetest."

"Given," I acknowledged, not making eye contact with him.

"So anyway, we were talking and we were thinking we should all go on a triple date next Friday!"

"A triple date?" I inclined an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Gaby with Danny, Brady with me, and you with Collin!" Camille enthused.

I almost laughed. _Me and Collin? On a date? Yeah fucking right!_

But what was my other option—say no? Let Brady and Camille go on a date without me there? Could I stand that? And secretly, wasn't I looking to make Brady wildly jealous for reasons even I didn't fully understand?

"Sounds _super _fun!" I said in my best girly-excited voice. Marco, who was sitting nearby looked up.

"Hey, is Collin the guy you were talking about last week? You know… after we—" He let his question linger in the air.

Without meaning to, I made direct eye contact with Brady. I didn't drop my eyes as I spoke the next sentence with complete clarity. "Yeah. Yeah that was him."

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><p><em>Brady<em>

Things were awkward when Collin and I got home that night. I wanted to punch him in the mouth repeatedly until he could never kiss another girl again, but that would mean admitting that I wasn't over Eliza, and I couldn't do that. I just couldn't. I thought maybe kissing Camille would help, but of course it didn't. Of course it didn't do a fucking thing. Camille was all of the bad qualities of Eliza without any of the good and I kind of wanted to smack her, whether she was a chick or not. But I could tell her and Eliza had a frosty relationship, and flirting with her was my best chance at making Eliza feel the same pain she'd put me through for months. But fuck me, she didn't even notice! She was too busy making out with _my best fucking friend! _Why did life suck so fucking much? FUCK!

"This isn't going to be awkward, is it?" Collin asked hesitantly. "The kiss, and the date Friday?"

_Lie through your teeth, lie through your teeth._

"Of course not, bro. But good luck with her, she's crazy," I tried using the same words the other pack members used to describe her, but it didn't sound right. Eliza was not crazy, she was excellence all wrapped up in a fifteen-year-old's body.

Was it less creepy to lust after her now that she was technically fifteen? Or was I still creepy because I'd been having fantasies about her for months?

_Why must life be so damn confusing?_

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><p><strong>REVIEW! I love to hear from the readers!<strong>


	44. Truths Come Out

_Claire_

Her name was Nora Gomez. She had been eighteen years old when her life was cut short. A recent graduate of Forks High School. She was driving home from her a party in La Push. She never made it home. And it was all my fault.

Below the article was a picture of Nora, smiling cheerily with a younger girl on her shoulders. She had Spanish features and skin a shade or two lighter than mine. Her hair was black like mine, and her eyes were a deep brown like mine. She looked normal. Free. Alive. But she wasn't. Not anymore.

I made a choking sound and set the cut-out newspaper article back on my father's desk. I hadn't meant to find it. I had made it clear that I never wanted to know the name of the girl who hung dead outside my window that night. But now I did, and I knew I could never forget. The name Nora Gomez would haunt me forever.

Slowly, I backed out of the room and retreated up the stairs, my fingers itching to call Quil.

…

"Okay class, your first major exam of the semester is tomorrow. Make sure you have answered all the study guide questions and have a firm understanding of the novel. The test will be forty multiple choice and ten short answer questions. You will have all hour to complete it," Ms. Monroe, my English teacher, explained just before the bell dismissing second hour rang on Thursday.

I began to exit the room in a zombie-like trance. _Nora Gomez._

"Hey, Claire! I'm calling your name, don't you hear me?" Kallia said, scurrying up beside me, backpack in arms.

I shook away the thoughts tormenting me and entered reality, "Oh, sorry. I guess I'm kind of spaced today."

"Welcome to my world," she laughed. "Anyway, I'm totally unprepared for this test. You want to meet after school and study?"

In truth, I didn't want to have to act normal all day. I didn't want to pretend I wasn't indirectly responsible for the death of a girl. When I got home I wanted to curl up in a ball and sulk until Quil could come over and comfort me. But that wasn't healthy, and doing something normal would probably be good for me.

"Sure, you want to just come over after school? I can give you a ride. You'll have to sit in the back though."

Kallia squealed and awkwardly hugged me while still holding her backpack. "Thank you! I would totally fail without you!" She chattered, "Oh, and why the back seat?"

"I give Mason a ride home from school every day," I told her hesitantly.

Kallia raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, which was very out of character for her. "Okay, well, see you at lunch!" She smiled at me before disappearing down the opposite hall to the gyms.

…

By the time we dropped Mason off and arrived at home, it was already near three thirty. Kallia had been looking at me weirdly since we left the school.

"What?" I asked self consciously as I unlocked the door.

"Are you and Mason…?" She let the question linger in the air.

"Dating? Definitely not!" As if to restate that, I imitated a gag.

"Why not?" Kallia frowned. "He's totally in to you, and he's soooo smexy."

"You're starting to sound like Melissa," I warned lightly, trying to change the subject. (As much as I loved Kallia, she couldn't know the truth.) She just blinked at me.

"There is nothing between us, okay?" I sighed.

"You're not very observant, Claire. You know that, right?"

"Enlighten me," I offered, setting my backpack down by the front door and heading toward the kitchen to grab a snack.

"Mason watched you the entire ride home. I don't even think he blinked. And when you smiled, he would smile. Not that arrogant smile he uses with everyone else, he _actually_ smiled. He even laughed at your bad joke about the cafeteria food."

"My joke wasn't bad!" I defended, hoping Kallia's short attention span would jump at the subject change. Talking about Mason was definitely not a good idea. Not when most of my explanation revolved around Quil, my illegal secret boyfriend.

"If a hyena were in the car even it wouldn't have laughed, darling. But that's not the point. Last time we talked about this you said Mason was a jerk, now you're giving him rides home from school. What is going on?"

"What's going on is that we have a huge test tomorrow that you are not at all prepared for. So we should probably study."

"I believe you, you know. I _do_ think that he's a jerk, and probably a player, too. The problem is, I don't think _you_ believe you."

"That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "I know _exactly _what kind of person Mason is. Trust me when I say there is a zero percent chance of me ever falling for him."

"I trust you, Claire, but I need a reason to."

_I would never fall for Mason because I'm madly in love with Quil. _I wanted to say.

"Because you're my best friend, and I wouldn't lie to you," my throat tightened. I wasn't lying to Kallia. Not directly. I was just avoiding the truth, that was all. I was just trying to protect Quil…

So why did I feel so sick to my stomach?

"Best friend?" Kallia perked up.

"Of course! Don't you know that?" I asked her, swallowing the rock in my throat.

"Well, it's just—you've always called Quil your best friend…"

_He's so much more than that, now._ Another thing I couldn't say. "He's my best _guy _friend. You're my best girl friend!" _My best human friend…_

Kallia beamed widely, all talk of Mason forgotten. "Come on, best friend, we have some studying to do!" She said, dragging me into the living room.

Twenty minutes later we were sprawled across the big, tan sectional couch in the living room, quizzing each other on various themes and events of the novel.

"Easy one," I assured her, "Who is Sydney Carton?"

"Isn't that the main girl?"

I laughed so hard tears sprung into my eyes. Kallia was far from stupid, but she had the attention span of a puppy, and English class was definitely not on her list of priorities. "Sydney is a guy, Kallia."

"What kind of twisted parents would name their son Sydney?" She scoffed.

"Don't blame his parents, blame the author."

"Stupid Mark Twain!"

"Charles Dickens," I corrected.

"Crap, I am so going to fail this," she sighed.

I wanted to reassure her that she would do fine, but we both knew that was a lie. And hadn't I been lying to Kallia enough as it was?

"There's always re-tests," I reminded her.

"No way! My mom would kill me if she knew I bombed the test. I'll just go on SparkNotes tonight," she decided.

"You're hopeless," I giggled.

"Hopelessly bored," Kallia said, "Can we take a break?"

"Sure."

"Good, because I need some girl-talk time."

I shook my head quickly. "You've got the wrong girl. Girl-talk is more Melissa's forte."

"Melissa is also as deep as a wading pool. This is serious," Kallia shared.

"What is it?"

"Kyle asked me out yesterday."

"Kyle Cooper? The sophomore?" I inclined an eyebrow.

Kallia nodded. "I know he's kind of nerdy, and he's only fifteen, but I said yes."

"So what if he's younger? Age doesn't matter if you really like someone, right?" I asked.

Kallia's nervous expression relaxed immediately. "You really think so? It's just… I know what people are going to say and—"

"Kallia, you have never cared what other people think of you. You carry your backpack in your arms instead of on your back. You wear rain boots to the beach. Your mouth has no filter. Don't choose now to start worrying about what other people think. If someone makes you happy, hold on to them, and ignore what other people say."

"Claire, you're awesome. You know that, right?"

Overwhelming guilt swept over me. _If only you knew how many secrets I keep, the things I've done, the people who have been hurt because of me, died because of me… then you wouldn't think I'm very awesome._

"You're pretty awesome, too," I told her, forcing a smile.

"You know, Kyle's best friend Jackson is single. I know you don't want to date Mason, but maybe you, me, Kyle, and Jackson could double?"

"I'm actually not looking for a boyfriend, right now," I informed her.

"Oh," Kallia said. "Alright." She looked like she wanted to say more, but was cut short

"Knock knock," a very familiar, very sexy voice called from the front door. A second later it opened and the love of my life stepped in. The sight of him made my heart beat unnaturally hard in my chest. At that moment I wished more than anything that Kallia wasn't there so I could fling myself into my boyfriend's arms and kiss him until I went light-headed with lack of oxygen.

"Hey, Quil," I greeted, hoping I didn't sound short of breath and giddy. Even though I totally was…

"Hello, Claire, Kallia," he nodded at each of us and the side of his mouth quirked up in a deliciously adorable smile.

"What—what are you doing here? It's Thursday, you should be at work." I meant to make it a statement, but the words came out more like a question. I was too flustered to focus.

"Don't be fooled by the weather here, it's raining cats and dogs in Port Angeles. We couldn't do any more for the day, so everyone got sent home," he explained, plopping down on the couch beside me. He was close enough for me to feel his body heat, but we weren't actually touching, so it wasn't half as close as I wanted him to be. It was just my luck the one day I actually made plans was the day when my dad was gone and Quil was here.

"I didn't know you had a job in Port Angeles, Quil. What do you do?" Kallia asked curiously, seemingly oblivious to the thunderous beating of my heart.

"I work for a construction and remodeling company. We restore old buildings and build new ones. But enough about me, what are you two ladies up to?"

"Well, we _were_ studying…" I let my voice trail off.

"But studying is so dull. So we stopped," Kallia explained.

"I see," Quil nodded.

"You been home yet?" I asked Quil, unable to meet his eyes. If I looked directly at him, I wouldn't be able to resist him. And Kallia did not need to see me desperately fling myself at Quil.

"No. Thanks to you, going home is at the bottom of my to-do list every day." He didn't say it accusingly, but teasingly, and I was happy that maybe some of his hostility toward Mason had ebbed.

"Oh yeah, I heard you and your cousin don't really get along, huh?" Kallia inquired.

"Not at all," Quil said.

"Why?"

"You've met him, right?"

Kallia nodded.

"Then you don't need to ask," Quil chuckled. There was a brief, tense moment of silence. "Anyway, maybe I should let you girls get back to your 'studying.'"

"You're leaving?" I asked, maybe a little to hysterically. Quil couldn't leave. He just got here. I hadn't gotten my daily dose of Quil yet. I hadn't even _touched _him.

"I gotta go change and take care of some stuff. I'll come over after dinner, kay?"

"Kay," I replied casually, hoping Kallia wasn't aware of the fact that I would be counting down the seconds till I could see Quil again. "See you then."

"See you, babe!" Quil hollered before heading out of the door.

I could have killed him. _Did he really just call me babe? In front of _Kallia?

I kept my composure and hoped like hell Kallia hadn't noticed his slip-of-the-tongue.

"What the hell was that, _babe?_" Kallia demanded.

_Or not._

"Uh…" I struggled desperately to come up with a lie. Any kind of fabricated story that could turn things around and make Kallia forget what she had heard.

"You know, when you said you weren't interesting in having a boyfriend, I didn't realize it was because you were already dating your _best friend_!"

"We aren't dating," I defended quickly. "Why would you say that?"

"Well babe, maybe it was the pet name, the through-the-roof tension, the fact that you couldn't make eye contact with him, the way you sounded like you just ran a marathon."

"I can explain. You see—" I stopped when I realized that in fact I couldn't explain. I had no idea what to say.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She sounded offended. Bad sign.

"There's nothing to tell," I stated flatly.

"You liar. You're such a liar! Oh my God, Claire. _Quil?!_ He's like, twenty something!"

This was exactly how I had most feared she would react. _Fuck, this is bad._ "I wanted to tell you…" I finally told her in a low voice.

"You wanted to tell me, huh? Then why haven't you? Because I don't think this happened over the weekend."

"I knew you'd freak out, Kal. I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Oh, I understand fine. You tell me I'm your best friend when in reality you've been lying to me this whole time! I can't believe you! You tell me to trust you, but clearly I can't, can I? I don't care that you're dating Quil. I care that you didn't think to tell me." She got up and scooped her things into her backpack.

"Kallia, wait. Let me explain, okay? Please?"

Kallia released the backpack and plopped back down on the couch with an annoyed huffy sound. "You have approximately one minute."

"Yes, Quil and I are together. I didn't want to keep this from you. I didn't want to keep this from anyone. Keeping it a secret sucks. But as you pointed out, Quil is a lot older than me. He could get reported as a sex offender and all this horrible crap if it got out. And my dad hates him. He's threatened to call his lawyers before. Quil doesn't care. But I do. I don't want anything to happen to him, so we've been trying to keep our relationship on the down-low. His friends know, and my family, but that's kind of it. We've been dating since my birthday. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, because trust me when I say that I've been dying to talk to you about this, but I just couldn't. Please forgive me."

Kallia chewed her lip for a long minute before a mischievous grin made its way onto her lips. "Wouldn't you and Quil need to be having sex for him to be a sex offender?"

_Damn it._

"Well, you see…"

"Claire!" Kallia squealed. "You dirty girl!"

My face reddened and I averted my eyes.

"I can't believe you've been keeping your scandalous double life from me."

"I know, I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

"Fine," she huffed. "But just because I'm forgiving you does _not _mean I'm letting you off the hook."

A warmth spread over me as all of the tension in my body disappeared. I couldn't fight the smile or the urge to hug Kallia, so I did both.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"I'm doing this for me, you know. If I was angry with you I could never get every detail about your secret love life."

"Way to ruin the moment," I joked, pulling away.

"Hey, we were hugging it out!" Kallia pouted, throwing her arms back around me.

"You're so weird," I informed her.

"I know, you're so lucky to have me," she giggled.

_Eliza_

I was roused from my sleep in the middle of the night by the sound of my window sliding open. Instantly, my body stiffened. Vampire. A vampire was breaking into my room and she was going to kill me.

"You awake?" Came a whisper.

No. It wasn't a vampire. It was something even worse.

"Brady?" I mumbled groggily, checking the digital clock on my nightstand, "It's two thirty in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep," he confessed.

"Go home," I ordered tiredly. "I'm sleeping. Or, I was." Common sense told me that I should have been chewing him out for breaking into my room, but I didn't. I wasn't even angry.

Of course, Brady ignored my command and came to sit at the edge of my bed. "You can go back to sleep, if you want."

"How can I sleep if you don't leave?" I snapped at him, but without real malice.

"Your hair is curly," Brady noted, changing the subject. It was dark, but I imagined him smiling. "Not straight."

"So what?"

"You're so beautiful."

"Why are you here?" I asked, ignoring the compliment. Though my face did flush.

"I'm here," he answered earnestly, "Because I love you."

My heart fluttered, "You what?"

"Don't act so surprised, Liza."

"You aren't supposed to say that," I informed him, lying back down and pulling the blankets all the way over my head. Why was he doing this? Why now? I had done so much to push him away!

Suddenly, the blankets were wrenched away and I found Brady kneeling over me, our faces so close that his exhales became my inhales. "I'm probably not supposed to do this, either," he said, putting a finger under my chin and tilting my head towards him. Before I could protest, his lips took mine in a heart-stopping kiss.

The last time I had kissed Brady like this was in front of everyone that day outside Vampie HQ. The two kisses since then had been ghost kisses. More like soft memories than actual touching.

This one was definitely not like that. His mouth was pressed against mine with an urgent force; his tongue traced the shape of my lips until I opened them to him.

_Stop it! Don't encourage him. You know this is a bad idea, _my brain screamed.

Did I? Was this really such a bad idea? My mind was so clouded with want that I couldn't focus. Without my consent, my hands found their way to his body, greedily holding him to me. Brady groaned in a way that sent a shiver down my spine and pushed me harder into the mattress.

I should have pushed him away. Bit his tongue. Closed my mouth. Slapped at him. I should have stopped him. I could have. But I didn't want to. I honestly didn't want to.

_What's wrong with me?_ I wondered fearfully as I clung to Brady for dear life. He welcomed me into his arms and my entire body was flooded with his warmth. I stiffened when his hot hand found my thigh, but calmed some when he simply lifted my leg and draped it over his back.

I adjusted myself into a comfortable position and unintentionally created friction between our lower halves. I sighed in content and did it again, on purpose this time. Brady hissed through his teeth.

And I loved every second of it.

…

I woke with a start, bolting up in bed so fast I could practically feel my brain rattling in my skull. The room was empty. The window shut. No sign of Brady was anywhere.

_It was just a dream, Liza. Just a horrible, unrealistic, random nightmare,_ I reassured myself mentally.

And maybe it was just a nightmare, but why was I dreaming about kissing Brady at all?

_Lilly_

"Your date with Collin is tonight," I said casually to Eliza as we made our way out of the locker room at the end of the day Friday. I bit my lip to refrain from smiling—the whole situation was hilarious to me.

"Don't you dare laugh at me," Eliza warned. I couldn't help it though, a small giggle found its way out.

"I'm sorry," I apologized immediately, the giggles intensifying, "But _Collin?_ You and Collin _hate _each other!"

"We do _not_," she stiffened.

"Maybe you and Brady should just make out already and save everyone all this drama."

Eliza's face reddened. With anger or embarrassment, I couldn't tell. "Whose side are you on, Lilly?"

"I smell a catfight," Travis said, slipping in between Eliza and I and slinging his arm around my shoulder. I politely shrugged him off. He had been doing things like that a lot recently. Touching my arm when he spoke to me… giving me hugs goodbye… playing with my hair.

"Hi Travis, bye Lilly." Eliza marched away, a sour look on her face.

"Call me after your hot date!" I called teasingly down the hallway. In truth, I was getting way too tired of her moods. Who was this girl and what had she done with my best friend?

"What was that about?" Travis asked, scooting closer to me as I continued down the hall.

"Oh, you know. Her, Collin, Brady, Camille, Danny, and Gaby are going out tonight. I was just messing with her."

"Oh, yeah. Camille wouldn't shut up about it during lunch. Sometimes I think you're the only sane girl in this school," Travis shared.

I smiled in spite of my annoyance with Eliza. Even though Travis had been acting awfully weird as of late, at least he was still on my side. The past week had felt like living in the middle of a war. Camille was crazier than ever, Eliza was acting closed off and weird, and everyone was stuck in the middle. I could have talked to Jasmine about it, but I didn't want to bring her down. She had been glowing all week, and I had a feeling it was because of a particular blond boy who sat next to her at lunch every day and held her hand under the table.

"Thanks."

"Hey, do you maybe want to go get some yogurt or something?"

"Nah, that would be weird. You know, Brady and Collin could be working."

"Right, right," Travis nodded. "Well, can I walk you home?"

I turned to him curiously, "Doesn't your brother give you a ride?"

"Not today he doesn't. Home sick. Can you believe a seventeen year old can get chicken pox?"

"What? You're kidding."

"I totally am," Travis confessed, laughing, "But he _is_ sick. So yeah, I'm walking."

"Okay, then. Let's go," I answered. In all honesty though, it felt weird. Being alone with a boy who wasn't Embry just seemed wrong. Being with anyone who wasn't Embry often felt wrong.

I resisted the urge to smack myself. Thinking about my feelings for Embry weren't healthy, it just drove me crazy.

"So, it's Friday," Travis commented as we began down the sidewalk toward the residential part of town. Travis and I lived two streets apart, about three-quarters of a mile from school.

"Yup, finally."

"And everyone is going on their date tonight."

"Yeah, I bet that'll be… interesting."

Travis laughed, "Six at the beginning of the night… but how many will still be alive at the end?"

"Gaby and Danny," I chuckled. "Anyone else will be lucky."

"What's the deal with Eliza anyway?" Travis inquired, "I'm so confused. Does she like Collin, or Brady?"

"She's Eliza, I don't know if she likes anyone, to be honest."

"Eliza's your best friend, right?" Travis raised an eyebrow, "She needs to be able to trust you. If she doesn't, then I don't think she's a very good friend."

My stomach tightened painfully. "She means well," I mumbled.

"And who do you like?" Travis asked out of the blue, causing me to trip over my feet and nearly fall to the sidewalk.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Jasmine likes Marco, Gaby likes Danny, Camille likes Brady, Eliza likes being complicated, but no one knows who you like."

_Embry. Embry Call, _I thought. My face darkened. I couldn't say that. I could never say that. Eliza may have kept secrets from me, but I had a few of my own, too. Ones I couldn't admit out loud. Claire knew, and she had kept my secret faithfully. But I couldn't trust Travis like I trusted Claire, no matter how nice he was. And if Eliza couldn't be open with me, how could I with her?

"I'll tell you who _I_ like," Travis smiled shyly.

"Okay, who?" I asked, eager to change the subject.

"You," he confessed, smiling at me.

I froze.

_No. No. No. _Suddenly all the little times he'd been touching me lately made sense. The way he acted slightly sheepish. How he offered to walk me home. I was just too caught up in my own feelings to notice. And now it was too late. I had walked right into a trap.

"Oh," I mumbled, looking down.

"And I was thinking… maybe you would want to go out sometime? See a movie?"

"Travis, I—I—Well ," I struggled to find my words. "I just remembered that my step-dad was supposed to pick me up from school. I have to go!" I turned and high-tailed it in the other direction, hoping that if I moved fast enough I could leave the past few minutes of my life in the dust.

**Author's Note: DUN DUN DUN! On that happy note, I end the chapter. Sorry it's been so long guys! I forgot how stressful school is. And also, you know transition chapters aren't always fun to write. But I'm super excited for the next chapter (Oh yes, triple-date time!) so that should be up much faster. FUN FACT: Today is October 11****th****, and currently in the story, it is October 11****th****! Trippy, right? Anyway, 'TILL NEXT TIME LOVIES! **


	45. Invites and Dating and Scheming OH MY!

**A/N: Warning, this is a long ass chapter. And it's also going to frustrate you. I promise I'll more than make up for it later. **

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

To say I wasn't looking forward to the date was a massive understatement. Normally, any time I could spend with Eliza would be a blessing. But this situation was certainly not normal. Because I was going on a date with Camille, not Eliza, and Eliza was going with _Collin_. Of all people. What was this, "Spit in Brady's face" day? "Squeeze lemon juice into Brady's wounds and then scrub them with salt" week? It may as well have been.

The worst part was having to act like I didn't want to punch Collin in the face so hard he'd choke on his teeth. Pretending I was over Eliza was phase one of the road to recovery. If I couldn't convince my best friend I didn't care about her, then how could I ever make myself believe it? Collin knew me better than anyone else, he had to think I was over her. He had to.

"You excited?" Collin asked, walking into my room in a only a pair of jeans. I ground my teeth together. It would have been a lot easier to act like I was over Eliza if Collin wasn't trying to move in on her. Like seriously, what happened to him hating her?

"I'm a man," I responded in my most even and casual voice. "Men do not get 'excited' for dates. That's girly."

Collin snorted. "You used to practically jump for joy if Eliza would look at you without scowling. You're trying to tell me you don't care that you're going out on a date with a hot brunette chick?"

"That was before, Collin. And I'd like to remind you that it's not even a real date, you're going to be there. And Danny, and Gaby, and… Eliza," her name physically hurt to say. It was a sharp reminder that I'd have to see her tonight, and she'd be on a date with my best friend, and I'd be on a date with her bitchy frenemy. _Life blows._

"Oh, yeah, you've 'changed'. You're a totally different person than you were two weeks ago. You've totally forgotten about Eliza. I completely forgot, silly me," Collin said drily. Why was he acting this way? If he wanted her—and who could blame him?—why couldn't he just get off my back. It was weird behavior, even for Collin.

"Anyway, do you have a reason for being in my room, other than just being annoying?"

He grinned. "Actually, I do. I'm about to go pick up Liza, but I'm not sure what shirt to wear. Are you just wearing a t-shirt or…?"

"I honestly haven't put any thought into it, man. Wear whatever." Translation: _No matter what you wear, Eliza will outshine you in every way with her unbelievable gorgeousness. _

"Yeah, okay," Collin nodded, looking grim.

"Something up?" I asked half-heartedly.

"No, everything's fine. Just peachy." He turned around and left the room, much to my relief _and_ discomfort.

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

"Friday night. Aren't you supposed to be stalking Claire or something?" Mason asked when I walked into the kitchen Friday evening.

I sneered at him and said nothing.

"Oh, you're no fun. This is the part where you get all girly and offended and shove me through the wall."

"Don't tempt me," I warned, going to the cabinets for a bowl.

"Wow, I'm terrified. Chester made a hollow threat."

"Stop baiting him!" Embry hollered from the living room.

This house definitely had too many people living in it… I needed my own place. Preferably one with Claire.

"You two are so dull," Mason complained, yanking the bowl and cereal box from my hands and pouring himself a bowl instead. I ground my teeth, but said nothing. I didn't want to upset Claire by ripping Mason a new one.

"Then here's an idea, leave," I suggested through my teeth, grabbing a new bowl.

"Danny's on a date and if Claire isn't with you then she's obviously busy," Mason stated. I dug a spoon in the bowl of cereal and started to eat rapidly to hide the deep scowl making its way onto my face. I was already in a bad mood because Claire had to babysit Amelia, I didn't need Mason to remind me I'd be spending my night off alone.

"It's not my fault only two people can stand your presence," I reminded him.

"Take your bickering outside, I'm trying to watch The Simpsons!" Embry yelled, more agitated this time.

I finished the bowl in record time and let the dish drop into the sink, deciding I'd take care of it later. What I needed now was a short trip to Canada to blow off some steam.

"I knew it! I just annoy you to no end, don't I? You can't even bear to be in the same room as me."

"Anyone who _can_ is insane," I mumbled.

"I'll be sure to tell Claire you said that next time I see her. Danny, too…" Mason smirked, following me down the hallway.

I stopped in my tracks, nearly causing him to bump into me. "I don't mean Claire. Or Danny. Claire is just… too nice. She feels sorry for you. Danny too."

The sudden burst of laughter from the television was the only sound in the otherwise awkwardly silent house. "That's what you tell yourself, Chester. You just don't want to believe that the person you love most in the world can like the person you hate most."

"Hate?" I laughed dryly, "Hate is much too passionate a word to describe how I feel about you. Irritation is more accurate."

"Well—"

"Save it, _Clark_. I'm done here," I sneered, recalling how Annie had called him once by his real last name, and how Mason had reacted to hearing it. I swung open the front door to find a very surprised, very cute, Claire, her hand curled into a fist suspended halfway between herself and the door."

"Quil," she smiled, still looking rather startled. "I was about to knock."

"Awkward," Embry muttered under his breath from the coach. I made a mental note to get back at him later.

"Hey baby, what's up? I thought you had to babysit." I asked, leaning against the doorframe casually. I hoped like hell she hadn't been eavesdropping.

"I did. I mean, I do. I just had to ask you something first," she wrung her hands together anxiously.

"Sure, anything," I told her. She was so adorable when she was nervous, but just seeing her this way made my gut twist apprehensively. Claire had been a wreck ever since she found out about Nora, and seeing her look even more stressed was painful.

"Well, I was just talking to my dad.. about us. You and me, I mean. And how you're around all the time, but you two never really acknowledge each other and he said," her voice lowered "thatyoushouldcomeovertodinne rSunday," she blurted quickly.

"What?" I asked.

"He said that you should come over to dinner Sunday. So you guys could 'start fresh' or something like that."

"Oh," I mumbled. Naturally, my brain was going into panic mode. My amazing girlfriend's psycho father who wants to see me behind bars is not only suddenly tolerating our relationship, now he's embracing it? Yeah, cause _that _makes sense.

But Claire looked so damn nervous that I couldn't bear to make her feel even worse, so I managed to find a smile somewhere within myself and put it on. "That's awesome, baby!"

Claire perked up so quickly my heart nearly melted. "Really?" She said, her voice raising an octave.

"Yeah. You, me, your dad, maybe we'll even throw in Eliza and make it a real party," I pulled her into my arms for a warm, reassuring hug, which quickly turned into a kiss.

Did I really think everything would go smoothly? Of course not. Odds are by Monday morning I would be forbidden from seeing Claire ever again and have a ten thousand dollar bounty on my head. But Claire seemed genuinely happy, so I couldn't worry about the future just yet.

Besides, a kiss from Claire with Mason watching enviously in the background was so, _so_ worth it.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

This was _definitely_ not a good idea. Why didn't I fake sick? Or say that Claire backed out and I had to babysit Amelia? Why didn't I bail when I had the chance? I asked myself these questions as Collin and I drove in awkward silence toward Forks.

"So…" Collin said after a few minutes of uncomfortable driving. It was painfully obvious he didn't like this any more than I did. Yet, here we were.

"Just clarifying, this is definitely _not_ a real date," I said, searching for a way to fill the silence. Silence left too much room for my thoughts. Thoughts and questions like 'Why did I dream about Brady?'

"What? You mean you _aren't _all of a sudden head-over-heels for me?" Collin asked sarcastically.

"Shut up. I forgot you don't know how to be serious."

"Wow, burn. You got me. No wonder Brady walks around with his tail between his legs. You're just a big bully."

I rolled my eyes, trying my best to ignore the Brady comment. No wonder I had a dream about Brady; every conversation I had lately seemed to be centered around him! "If you hate me so much, why are you here?"

Collin shrugged, "That's for me to know and for you to make false assumptions about, Blondie."

"_Seriously_, stop calling me that."

"I would, Blondie, but I don't know how to be serious, remember?" He looked sideways at me and smirked.

"Just keep your eyes on the road!" I scolded. Collin's smirk morphed into a full-on grin as he realized he won the battle… for now.

"By the way, if we're going to fake date so you can piss off your fake-friend and my real one, you could at least try to dress nicer."

I gave him my sharpest glare, hoping that even though he couldn't see it, he could feel it burning into his skin. When he didn't seem to react to my dagger-eyes, I let my shoulders slump and re-examined my clothes. What was wrong with what I was wearing? Purple jeans, a black and white sweater, and boots. I mean, I wasn't hot, but who was _I _trying to impress? Certainly not Brady. Not anyone, for that matter.

_Little liar, _a voice in my head whispered.

"Shut up," I whispered under my breath.

"What was that, Blondie?" Collin asked.

"Nothing, just hurry up and get there already."

"Can't wait to make your secret lover jealous?"

"No. I'm just—You see… I don't need to explain anything to you, you don't tell me anything! So you can just… stop talking," I huffed.

"Certainly, your highness," he said with a pathetically fake British accent.

It was certainly going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

When Collin and Eliza arrived at the restaurant, a hostess had already seated us and we had been making conversation for all of three minutes. Camille turned out to be even _more _annoying than I originally thought, and she was way too clingy for my taste. I had secretly been listening for the sound of Eliza's voice while Camille chattered incessantly about something I didn't give a fuck about. How any guy could put up with her was a mystery to me. It turned out that I heard Collin's voice first, not Eliza's, but I knew she was in the room somewhere. I could feel it in the pounding of my heart, the tugging in my gut, and the boiling of my blood. How could I be so aware of a girl who _wasn't_ my soul mate?

"Hi, we're meeting a group here, reservation under Danny Roberts," Collin told the hostess. I tried not to look in their direction, but it was impossible. I pinpointed her blonde ponytail immediately and everything else around me simply… blurred around the edges. She was the only clear object in a world of fuzziness. Eliza had that kind of power, whether I wanted to admit it or not.

"Well?" Camille said agitatedly, snapping me out of my Eliza-daze.

"Well what?" I asked, not even glancing her way.

"I said, have you been here before?" She repeated.

Eliza looked our way, and I quickly averted my eyes, put on my most charming smile, and turned to Camille. "No, I haven't, but I'm sure it's great."

"It totally is!" Gaby chirped, "I came here with Isaac over the summer and we ordered this really good appetizer! I think it was some kind of dip. And there was this bread you dipped in it. Delicious. I forgot what it's called."

I nodded, like I knew exactly who Isaac was and cared about what she was saying, all the while aware of Collin and Eliza's approaching footsteps.

"So," I turned back to Camille, taking her hand, "What's good here?"

Camille smiled suggestively and winked, as if to imply that she was the best thing on the menu. _Gross._

"Hey guys, sorry we're late," Collin said, sliding into the booth after Eliza. This time I was able to resist looking at her.

"No problem, man," Danny said.

"Hey Eliza, hey Collin," Gaby greeted.

Camille took my hand under the table and intertwined our fingers, and it took all my willpower not to yank my hand away. "Yeah, hey," she sounded smug. I decided it was safe to look across the table, but let my eyes fall on Collin instead while I watched Eliza from my peripheral vision. She was sitting diagonally across the table from me, and I realized it was going to be a long and difficult night of ignoring her.

"The waiter come yet?" Collin asked, picking up his menu.

"Wait_ress _actually," came an all-too familiar voice. Standing about a foot away from the table was none other than Mia. _Oh, perfect. Fucking perfect._

"What are you doing here, sis?" Danny asked, looking both annoyed and surprised.

"I _told _you I got a job," she smirked. "And did I ever pick a good first night to work," she added under her breath, swallowing laughter.

"Wait, that's your _sister_?" Gaby whispered loudly, not realizing that Mia could have heard he perfectly even if she was a human.

"Twins, can't you tell?" Mia chuckled. "Oh, and hello Eliza, Brady, Collin," she nodded at each of us respectively.

"Small world," Eliza said, speaking for the first time.

"Is this a date?" Mia asked, sounding a little _too_ entertained and looking between first Eliza and Collin, then Camille and I.

"Just take our drink orders, Mia," Danny snapped.

"Whoa, defensive."

"Hi, I'm Gaby," Gaby smiled politely.

"Nice to meet you, Gaby. Sorry you're stuck with my idiot brother. What can I get you to drink, sweetie?"

We all gave Mia our drink orders, and she grinned mischievously before turning and leaving.

"Your sister smiles a lot," Gaby noted, "She's really nice."

"My sister is far from nice," Danny grumbled.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dan. Your sister is hilarious," Collin exclaimed, "And anyone who is funny can't be all that bad."

I didn't agree with that. Collin was the funniest guy I knew, and was pretty sure he was _also_ pure evil.

"Is it awkward?" Camille asked suddenly, turning to me.

"Having Mia here? Nah, she's cool most of the time."

Camille shook her head. "Not that. Is it awkward that you and your best friend have kissed the same girl?"

I clenched my fist under the table. It seemed like _everyone _was trying to make me crack. Like they were testing me, and if I didn't pass I was so screwed. "Not at all," I lied quickly, wrapping my un-tense arm around her narrow shoulders. "I have you, don't I?"

Camille seemed satisfied with my answer, and blushed a little bit.

"It's awesome that me, Eliza, and Camille are friends, and you, Collin, and Danny are friends," Gaby decided. "We get to do fun things like this."

_This _was her idea of fun?

"I know, right?" Eliza intertwined her fingers with Collin's on top of the table. Her eyes met mine frostily for just a moment, and then she tore them away. As I tried to decipher what the hell that look was supposed to mean, the table fell into a brief silence.

"So anyway," Camille spoke up, "I was curious about something."

_Yes, you do annoy the shit out of me._

"And what is that?" Eliza asked suspiciously. I decided it was safe to look at her, which was a bad idea, because my palms started to sweat and my heart felt like it could burst out of my chest. Those green eyes held the key to the universe, the key to Eliza's soul, and the key to mine. Even when they were hard and cold, they were magnificent. And don't even get me started on her hair…

"Well I was talking to Marco in homeroom the other day, and he said that when you two called it quits it was because you were both interested in other people. Obviously he meant Jasmine, but what about you? Was it Collin?" Camille asked.

To my surprise, Eliza blushed and looked down at her and Collin's fingers. "Yeah, it was," she admitted quietly.

"Awwwwwe!" Gaby gushed. "That's so cute!"

"Adorable," I muttered, pulling Camille closer to me. This couldn't be happening. There was no way that Eliza had somehow developed feelings for Collin. And there was definitely no way Collin could have feelings for her. And yet—and yet I knew he had visited her in her room late at night, and he kept bringing her up in conversation, and Eliza kissed him. She kissed him! And well, how could anyone not get wrapped up in Eliza's beauty and wit? For a quarter of a second, her eyes collided with mine again. We both quickly averted them. Collin was smiling, rubbing his free hand up and down Eliza's arm. I wanted to lunge at him across the table and break his fingers one by one. But that would a) cause a scene b) prove to Collin that I was insanely jealous and not over Eliza and c) let Eliza know the power she still held over me. So I stayed where I was and tried to calm the storm inside of me, all the while wondering when Collin started hating me so much that he would dangle the girl of my dreams right in front of me like that.

_You're supposed to be getting over her, Brady, _I reminded myself. _So do it! Get over her already!_

Mia came back with our drinks, not saying anything but looking between Collin and Eliza with heavy confusion. She flicked her eyes toward me, and I studiously ignored her.

"Are you guys ready to order?" She asked. Order? I hadn't even looked at the menu. How could I when I was in hell and heaven was sitting across the table from me?

"No, we need a few more minutes I think, thanks Mia," Collin was still all smiles. Mia disappeared again.

I turned back to my date and turned up the charm, not knowing what else to do, "So, is your hair naturally wavy like that?" I asked her, rubbing a strand of it between my fingers. Her hair really was a lovely color, but it had nothing on Eliza's pale blonde locks.

"Yeah, totally natural," Camille boasted.

"I like natural, it's kind of… sexy." I didn't know what I was trying to accomplish. Was I proving to Collin that I had moved on, or was the petty part of me hoping it would get Eliza's attention? I mean, that _was _the reason I'd kissed Camille in the first place.

Camille let out a high-pitched giggle that made me want to drag my fingernails down my face. _I should have gone for airhead Gaby, _I thought miserably.

Eliza made a little sound and gave me the weirdest look that I had no idea how to decipher. Shame? Boredom? Disgust? Jealousy? No, I was making things up.

_You only _want _to believe she's jealous, _I reminded myself tiredly. How could she be angry with me for pursuing Camille when she constantly said I just needed to move on from her? Why would she be jealous when she was on a date with her precious Collin?

Wow… When had I become so painfully bitter?

"Sexy is my middle name," Camille whispered to me, running a finger down my arm. If that allured other men, I had no idea, but it did absolutely nothing for me.

"That's ironic, mine too!" Collin interrupted.

Eliza stifled a giggle, causing another stab of jealousy to run through me. I wanted to be the one to make her laugh. "Really, Collin? What part of looking like a monkey do you not understand?" She scooted closer to him.

"The part where I look like a monkey! Blondie, I'm irresistible and you know it," Collin smirked. She tried to hit him playfully on the arm but he caught her hand, causing her to growl adorably. I wanted to growl myself. Collin had a pet name for Eliza? She tried to hit him, too? I suddenly felt like an idiot for thinking I was the only guy she tried to physically injure. Why would I be? I wasn't special to her.

"Just because you hate being called out doesn't mean you can resort to violence," Collin told her, running his lips over her knuckles lightly before letting her hand fall. My stomach twisted as the memory of me doing a very similar thing to Eliza after the first time I kissed her on the beach was yanked to the front of my mind. This was all so wrong. Eliza and Collin was just _wrong._ Eliza and any guy who was not me was _wrong_. And even though I was supposed to be getting over her, I couldn't deny how I felt about that.

"You two are _so_ cute!" Gaby gushed. Eliza said nothing, but stared intently at her soda. I wondered if maybe she was remembering that night, too. When I had ran my lips across her hand and concluded that she liked me. I was so naïve back then. So full of hope for mine and Eliza's future.

"See, Blondie? Someone thinks I'm cute!"

Eliza returned from her daze and gazed warmly at Collin, "You're going to let that go straight to your head, aren't you?" She poked him once in the chest.

"Me? No, of course not," he grinned mischievously and she shook her head at him. Collin made eye contact with me across the table before kissing her lightly on her temple. I froze as raw, pure rage ripped through every muscle in my body. Collin hated me. He must have hated me. Why was he doing this? And better question, why the fuck was Eliza letting him? Any idiot could have noticed that there was nothing romantic between Collin and Eliza a few weeks ago. Eliza showed no attraction to him at all. Even if she _had _decided to change her mind about her feelings, why couldn't she have changed her mind about me? _I_ was the one who cared about her from the start! _I_ was the one who was in love with her! I kept my rage internal though, not wanting to let him know how much he was getting to me.

Unable to tolerate their sickening behavior any longer, I turned to my date. "So I was thinking we should go out again next weekend."

"Why wait? You doing anything tomorrow?"

_Sulking because the girl I love is into my best friend who claims to not like her but obviously does… _

"Nope, all free. What did you have in mind?"

Camille beckoned me closer and then brought her lips to my ear. "Something private," she whispered in a sultry voice. I felt like gagging. Don't get me wrong, Dirty Eliza was sexy as hell, but any other girl her age acting like that was simply _wrong._

I smiled though, like what she said made me happier than a kid on Christmas morning. "That sounds… promising," I flashed her the smile I used to lure in women at the club and watched her practically swoon. Why the fuck did it work on every girl except the one I wanted it to?!

"I have to go to the bathroom," Eliza murmured, suddenly looking paler than usual. Collin scooted out of the way for her, and she practically ran to the other side of the restaurant where I saw the restroom sign.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

It was all too much.

What was Brady doing with Camille? Had he seriously fallen for her snakelike charm? I'd always figured Brady liked me because he saw the good in me, but now I wondered if he was maybe just attracted to crazy bitches.

In theory, I should have been relieved. Brady was out of my life. He was moving on. It was what was the best for both of us. So why did I feel so incredibly wrong inside? My heart felt like it was in my stomach and someone may as well have plunged a serrated knife into my stomach and twisted it around for how awful I felt. My head was pounding, my mouth felt dry, and I was carrying massive boulders on my back every time I tried to stand. Everything inside me was screaming no. No. _No._

And I couldn't figure out _why_. I didn't have feelings Brady. Of course I didn't, so that obviously wasn't right. I did care about him though, so maybe I just didn't want him to be with a girl like Camille. But it felt like more than that… It felt like the end of the world.

_You're just stressed, Eliza, _I assured myself, crazy _vampires and fighting with Lilly and nightmares are causing you to panic. Calm down. _

And I tried. I tried to calm down.

But then that whore started whispering things in Brady's ear and I felt like I was going to throw up despite the fact that I hadn't eaten all day. It was all I could do to get away in time. When I got into the restroom I bolted into a stall, kneeled over the toilet, and tried to throw up. What I found was something different. Small drops of water were falling onto the toilet seat. My hand flew to my cheek in surprise and sure enough—I found wetness there.

I was _crying. _

Why the hell was I _crying?_

Taking a deep breath, I ripped off a piece of toilet paper and wiped my eyes. Now was _not_ the time for a weird hormonal breakdown, and I got the feeling that if I let loose now I would start sobbing and screaming and hitting things without even knowing why I was upset. That wasn't who I was. I didn't cry. And I _wasn't _going to let stupid Brady Fuller and Camille Glover change that.

Grudgingly, I bottled my tears and stood. I ignored the painful lump in my throat and ambled over to the mirrors, making an effort to fix my makeup and wipe away the last of my tears. Once they were gone, I practiced smiling in the mirror.

_Eliza Young doesn't show her emotions. Eliza Young is strong. _I repeated these words a couple of times in my head before pulling the door to the bathrooms open and heading back out—

Right into a worried looking Collin.

"You okay?" He asked uncertainly.

Why did people always insist on asking that question? I hated that fucking question. "I'm fine, Collin."—I didn't even remember what 'fine' felt like—"It's just the bathroom. People go all the time," I snapped. Without Brady around, my fake-flirty act had evaporated.

Collin rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you looked upset."

"Well, obviously I'm not," I stepped around him.

"I don't believe that," his sweltering hand came down on my shoulder.

"Look, Collin, I had a… 'feminine emergency'. Time of the month… You wouldn't understand." I shrugged him off and continued walking. No guy would dare go up against the period excuse, even guys as weird as Collin. I was sure of that.

"You two are impossible," he mumbled furiously. I ignored him. When we got within twenty feet of the table again, however, I took his hand in mine. Collin hadn't commented on my shameless yet totally false flirting, something I probably should have been suspicious about. But unfortunately, I didn't have the time or the energy to worry about it at the moment. No matter, for I was sure he would bring it up later, no matter how much I wished he would forget about it. It's not like I was the only one at fault. Collin was flirting back, for whatever reason. I suspected that the inner workings of his mind were even more devious than mine.

"And they're back," Danny announced, grinning teasingly. "What were you two up to?"

"None of your business, nosy," Collin replied defensively.

"That's code for kissing," Gaby giggled.

"Collin and Eliza were kissing?" Mia asked, suddenly reappearing. _Crap_, I had totally forgotten she was here.

"No!" I immediately thought of my Brady dream and flushed. My face had been doing that a lot lately, much to my displeasure. _Damn my pale skin and dark blush!_

I realized a moment too late that my blushing only confirmed Gaby's suspicion, even though it couldn't have been any further from the truth.

"Did you enjoy yourself, Eliza? We all know Collin did." Brady asked nastily. I was surprised to find his eyes narrowed almost into slits. He was really able to take his eyes off of his date for two whole seconds? Wasn't he too busy planning a second date with Camille and her 'sexy' hair?

"I'm going to say this one more time, nothing happened. And if it did, well, that is none of your concern, now is it Brady?" Collin raised an eyebrow.

Why did I get the feeling something much more complex than what was on the surface was going on?

"Uh huh, whatever, Collin."

Mia cut in."Ooookay, well I'm just going to take your orders and—"

Suddenly, Collin's mouth descended on mine. It was like my dream, but totally different. Because this was Collin, not Brady, and this was definitely real. Before I could react in any way, he pulled away and smiled dryly. "_That _was kissing. Everyone happy?"

No, actually everyone was dead fucking silent. Gaby was smiling, Danny looked confused as fuck, Camille was scrutinizing my face, Mia was staring at Collin in open-mouthed surprise, and Collin and Brady were in the middle of an intense stare-off. Or should I say glare-off. Collin's eyes were challenging, but Brady's were dark and unreadable.

"Overjoyed," Brady finally answered, tightening his arm around Camille.

"That's it!" Collin snapped, standing up so quickly the table shook. "I'm done here! You two are the most obnoxiously stubborn people I've ever known, so just get together already! No one else can deal with you." He pointed between Brady and I and then shoved past Mia and stormed out of the restaurant.

Our table remained in silence for a moment, each of us trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"Well," Gaby was the first to speak up, "I'll have the Chicken Avocado Club."

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

God put Collin on this earth to test me, that much I know knew. Either that or Collin actually was one of those freaks who craved danger and wanted me to try to kill him. If that was the case, he was going to get his wish.

_Calm down, Brady, stop thinking like that. Collin is your best friend._ I tried to calm myself down, but the idea that the person who was supposed to be my best friend was intentionally spitting in my face and taunting me in front of our friends made me want to laugh. Or hit something. Or maybe a bit of both.

Rationally, I knew that I wasn't going to kill Collin. I wasn't _that_ angry. No, I was just mad enough to fantasize about all the different ways I _could._ Accelerated healing wouldn't do much good if he was tied to an anchor at the bottom of the ocean…

Across the table, Eliza was chewing her lip in her characteristic way. Gaby, who was sitting between her and the wall, was trying to cheer her up, but Eliza was looking almost sickly. Like before, only worse. I wondered what was going through her mind. What did she think of Collin's parting words?

"I, uh, I need to go, I feel sick," she announced five minutes after Collin left.

"You need a ride?" I asked automatically without thinking, already reaching for my keys in my pocket.

"No," she answered a little _too_ forcefully, cluing me in to the fact that _something_ I had done tonight had made her hate me even more. I wasn't sure whether I should feel guilty or satisfied.

"Okay then," I mumbled awkwardly as a goodbye, not meeting her eyes. I couldn't. If I looked in them, I knew what I would see, and I did not need the image of her and Collin kissing to be called back to the front of my brain. The others bid her farewell as well, and then she was left, dragging my heart along with her.

After she was gone, I was unable to focus on a word Camille said. I couldn't focus. Period. Camille's nasally voice definitely didn't help. "Look Camille," I said after Mia brought around the second round of drinks, "I'm sure you're great and all, and I had a nice time, but I feel sick, too. Something must be going around."

"What kind of sick?" She asked, pouting.

_Sick of you,_ I wanted to say. _Sick of loving Eliza. _

"The sick kind," I told her. "It seems pretty serious. I don't know when I'll be able to hang out again."

She frowned. "Okay then… Call me I guess?"

I almost felt bad for her, and then the way she looked at Eliza was called to the front of my mind and all that pity evaporated. A girl like Eliza shouldn't have to deal with immature high school bitches like Camille trying to tear her down because of their own petty jealousy. Instead of responding, I slid from the bench, stood, nodded at Danny and Gaby, and left with the intention of finding Collin and breaking his jaw. (He wasn't after Eliza after all, he just wanted me to admit that I still was… Dick.)

Instead, I found Eliza sitting on the curb outside of the restaurant. Her back was to me, and her head was lowered, so I figured she didn't know I was out there. I probably should have bolted in the other direction and snuck over to my car before she could notice my presence and speed away as fast as I could. But my feet were glued to the cement. Collin had seriously left Eliza without a ride? I was seriously about to do the same?

"Your dad coming to get you?" I asked against my better judgment, going to take a seat beside her, but then stopping myself. Being in close proximity with her was too hard, so I just remained standing.

"Leave me alone, Brady," she ordered quietly, not bothering to look at me.

"Not until I know you have a way home."

"Why should you care? Go back inside and enjoy your date."

"Honestly, I'd rather enjoy a vampire gnawing on my leg."

She smiled a little, which made me feel like maybe she didn't hate me so entirely after all, but it was Eliza, so I had no way to be sure.

"Seriously, let me give you a ride home."

Finally, she met my eyes. Her cold green stare cut straight through to my soul. "Honestly, I'd rather have a vampire gnawing on my leg," she stated, standing up suddenly and barging away. Claire's car pulled into the parking lot, Amelia sitting in the back, and Eliza made her way over to it. "Perfect timing," she mumbled under her breath.

And then she was gone, and I was still sitting, immobilized by the realization that my goal was impossible. I would never get over and Eliza, and if Collin's words before he left earlier meant anything, he was never going to believe I could, either.

* * *

><p><em>Lilly<em>

It was probably getting close to three in the morning when my cell phone beeped. Normally, I would have been deep in dream world, but I couldn't calm my mind enough to slip into the oblivion of sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about Travis, and what I should tell him.

Of course, I knew it was unreasonable to think that Embry and I could possibly have a romantic future, but I couldn't any more reasonably imagine dating Travis. He was just a friend, not the way Embry was supposed to be "just a friend" but a real, genuine friend. I wanted to have _one _close guy friend that I didn't have a complicated relationship with. And on top of that, it would be unfair to Travis if I led him on when I really saw no future with him. I couldn't bear to damage our friendship.

But if I turned him down, wouldn't our friendship _still_ be damaged? How could I possibly win in this situation? I say yes, and I would lead him on and potentially ruin our friendship. I say no, and he would be upset and _that _could also ruin our friendship.

So when my cell phone screen lit up with a text from Collin, I was wide awake.

_You up? _The message read. My lips pursed together and my brows furrowed. Why was Collin texting me in the middle of the night? Why was Collin even texting me at all?

I thought about putting down my phone and pretending I'd never seen the message, but his phone probably already showed that the text had been opened, and he'd know I purposely ignored him.

_Yeah, why? Something wrong?_ I texted hesitantly. It couldn't be a coincidence that Collin was texting me the night after his date with Eliza.

_We need to talk. _He replied immediately.

_Now? It's 3 in the am. _

_And? Come outside, I'm under the tree in your yard. _

I let out an annoyed huff and got out of bed, grabbing a jacket out of my closet. I crept softly by my mom and stepdad's room and to the stairs. Once I was safely and silently at the bottom, I slipped on my shoes and opened the front door as slowly and quietly as I could. To Collin was right where he'd said and his head lifted as I approached. It was too dark to clearly see his face, but he looked worn out.

"Okay, what's the urgent matter that requires me to sneak out in the middle of the night?" I asked irritably. "Is this about Liza?"

Collin nodded. "I need your help."

"My help? Why?"

"Anyone with eyes can tell that Brady is crazy for Eliza. He's also crazy for being crazy for her, but that's beside the point. As much as I hate to admit it, they're good for each other, he balances her, and Brady clearly can't be happy without her. And I'm damn tired of seeing him drag his ass around the house. I know you've noticed Eliza acting weird lately, too."

I nodded, but said nothing.

"They obviously like each other, but Brady's too tired of trying to get her and failing, and Eliza's too stubborn to even admit that she wants Brady to try."

"But why do you need _my _help, Collin? If you think I can talk Eliza into admitting how she feels, you're crazy. Just thinking you can get them together is insane."

"I don't want you to talk to Eliza. She's never going to open up to you. Just like Brady's never going to listen to me. After tonight, he won't even look at me. I pushed him over the edge."

I opened my mouth to ask him what happened, but changed my mind. I probably didn't want to know. "So what am I supposed to do?" I asked instead.

"Talk to Brady. And I'll deal with Eliza. She'll never expect that I'm trying to pair her up with my best friend because she knows that I don't like her, and Brady won't think that you're trying to get him with Eliza because he'll assume that Eliza would never let you do such a thing."

"You've spent quite a lot of time thinking this over, haven't you?" I sighed.

"Scheming is in my blood, Lilly."

"I see that."

"So, are you in or not?" He asked. I chewed over this a minute. Eliza would be livid if she ever found out I was meddling in her love life, and the cost could be our friendship. But I could tell something was seriously off about her, and as her best friend it was my job to do what I could to help her. She could possibly hate me for it, but maybe one day she would realize that everything I did was to help her. Maybe. Either way, it _would _be nice to leave my relationship problems in the dust and throw myself into someone else's complicated love life.

"Fine, I'm in," I agreed grudgingly, shivering from a mixture of cold air and adrenaline.

Collin grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>Muahahaha. You know the drill, review and tell me how much you hate me right now. Gotta love cliffy endings ;)<strong>


	46. A Happy Family

**A/N: So this is a much shorter chapter than the last ones. (You're welcome, Gaby) Please take time and review letting me know what you think! Hopefully by the end of this chapter you will have at least ONE thing to say. **

**(Oh, and a quick warning, those of you who get very sensitive at the mention of abuse may want to tread carefully toward the end of this chapter. Nothing graphic… but still.)**

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

So I'm a werewolf… And werewolves don't get hot. Ever. Apparently, no one had told my body that, because as I pulled up outside Claire's house Sunday evening my palms were sweating like crazy.

I was being irrational, of course. I'd met Anthony more times than I would like, and this time wasn't any different. Except… it was. Suddenly it was like Claire and I had just started dating again, and I was about to meet her father for the first time. It was as if Anthony had never aimed a gun at me or threatened to have me arrested for coming near his daughter, like I hadn't hit him the time he grabbed Claire, like I didn't toy with the idea of kidnapping his daughter from her room at night and running for the hills. No, this was a very different situation. This was my second chance to make a first impression, and I couldn't afford to mess up. Not again. Anthony was willing to put his distaste for me to the side and try to really get to know me, and if I couldn't make him like me by the end of the night he would most likely forbid me from seeing my Claire all over again. And I _really_ couldn't allow that to happen. Not when I'd just barely gotten her back.

So yeah… I was basically freaking the fuck out. It took three long minutes of me sitting in my truck on the driveway to calm myself down enough to exit the vehicle. As I made my way to the front door, I examined my clothes carefully. Would he think the jeans were too casual? Would he think the collared shirt was trying too hard? Would he think I looked way too old to be dating his daughter?

As I knocked on the door, it occurred to me that this could all be an awful trap and Anthony could be waiting on the other side of the door with his rifle loaded. _Damn you, second amendment!* _The doorknob twisted, and I stiffened, considering turning around and bolting before it was too late. But then the door opened completely and Claire was there, looking crazy beautiful in a dark green belted tunic dress. I smiled and examined my own shirt, which was almost the exact same color. "We're matching," she giggled, making the same observation.

"Well, we are kind of soul mates," I reminded, pulling her in for a tight hug. I didn't let go until I heard the sound of a man clearing his throat awkwardly. Anthony, of course. I released Claire from my grip, keeping her hand firmly in mine.

"Anthony," I greeted politely, stepping toward him and shaking his hand.

"Quil," he replied stiffly, looking as uncomfortable as I felt.

"Thank you for having me," I told him, unsure what else to say. Claire squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Well, Claire seems to think the world of you, so you better be worth that praise."

_No pressure, or anything…_

"We'll be eating in the dining room, but the steaks won't be done for another few minutes. I'm going to go check on them, you two can go sit in the living room, I think Eliza is on her way down." He turned and started to disappear towards the kitchen and the back door. Once it opened and shut, and I was certain Anthony was not in the house, I smiled at Claire widely and brought my lips to hers. She reacted enthusiastically, twisting her fingers into my hair and sighing softly against my lips.

"You two are really pushing your luck, don't you think?" Eliza asked superiorly, sauntering down the stairs in that characteristic way she always did, swaying her hips for effect. Again, I noticed that her hair was pin-straight again. She looked… grown up. Older than Claire.

"I live life on the edge," I joked, kissing Claire on the lips again, chastely this time, and running a hand down her arm.

"Don't come crying to me when you trip and fall," she shrugged.

"Says the girl in sky-high heels," Claire teased, running her fingers through my hair to smooth it out. I thanked her with a warm smile and a wink.

"Dad claims he's going to behave tonight, but you should know that if you piss him off, his gun is just down the hall," Eliza reminded cheerfully, walking past us and into the living room. We followed her.

A moment or two later Anthony came in with a plate of steaks. "You kids want to help me bring the food to the table?" He asked, nodding his head at the other dishes of food on the kitchen counter. I felt almost joyful. Had he called me a kid on purpose, and finally realized that I wasn't actually much of a grown up after all, or had he meant to say 'you kids and creepy pervert man obsessed with my daughter'? I sincerely hoped the first was true.

We helped him set the array of food up on the dining room table and then all took our seats, me next to Claire and Eliza and Anthony on the other side of the table. I understood he was trying to be formal, but the prospect of four people sitting at a table that could hold ten made me want to laugh.

For a few minutes the only words shared were people asking to pass the salad or commenting on how good the steak was. I was perfectly content though, because Claire's hand had found mine under the table and our fingers were intertwined secretly.

"So Quil," Anthony began after everyone had food on their plates, "Claire says you have a construction job in Port Angeles?"

"Yes, sir. It's mostly building repair, but we also tear down some buildings past repair and build some new ones," I answered politely. Claire squeezed my hand and smiled at me sideways.

"How do you like it?"

"It's fine. I mean, it's not like it's my dream job or anything, but it's nice to not just sit around all day, and I have some more spending money now."

"And how old does your employer think you are?" He asked with barely concealed judgment in his eyes.

"Early twenties," I answered hesitantly. "That's what most people tend to think I am, so I just go with it."

He nodded slowly, as if he was taking mental notes. I felt like I was being interviewed for the position of dating Claire, and the pressure was certainly on.

"Your family… how do they feel about you being a werewolf?"

The corners of my mouth turned down before I could stop them. Family was not my favorite subject. "Well, my grandfather is very understanding. He grew up knowing all about werewolves. My mother, well, she isn't crazy about it."

"Care to elaborate?" Anthony asked.

"She doesn't mind me being a werewolf, I suppose, she just isn't happy about some of the things it comes with. Like, like imprinting." I admitted softly.

Anthony smiled drily, "I think your mother and I would get along famously."

_That _was a nightmare too terrifying to even consider.

"But you don't mind imprinting, Dad, remember? Because it makes me happy," Claire reminded.

"It doesn't make _me _happy, Claire. But I'm trying to be open-minded."

"Then open your mind," Claire said under her breath.

"So how long have you and Claire been together?" He continued the interview.

"Since my birthday," Claire answered. "Well, just after my birthday."

"And Quil, you don't feel weird being in a relationship with someone that much younger than you?"

"Not at all. It would feel weird if I was in a relationship with anyone that wasn't Claire."

"Because you love her," he said distastefully.

"Yes, sir. With all of my heart."

Eliza made a play gagging sound.

"If you really love Claire like you say, then why do you put her in danger on a daily basis? Werewolves… vampires… you live in a dangerous world."

My entire body tensed as I recalled being down in that enchanted cavern. As I remembered the absolute fear in Claire's eyes. As I remembered the way she nearly drowned in mud when the cavern collapsed. Claire would never be put in a situation like that ever again. "I will protect Claire with my life, Anthony. Nothing is going to happen to her on my watch."

"I'll be holding you to that, Quil. If anything happens to either of my daughters because they fraternize with supernatural creatures, I will leave Washington forever and take them with me." He sure as hell would _not_. If there was even the slightest indication that Anthony was trying to take my Claire away from me I wouldn't hesitate to steal her. That may have made me a jack-ass, a criminal, and the most selfish being on the planet, but I would. My Claire would not be taken away from me, and no vampire or human or wolf would change that.

"Dad," Claire whined, "You promised you weren't going to be like this. Nothing is going to happen to me or Eliza, we're fine."

Eliza knocked on the wooden table."Thanks, Claire, you jinxed us. Someone better save our spots in the cemetery," she announced dramatically. Claire glared at her.

"She's safe with me. Everyone in the pack would lay down their lives to protect Claire. Eliza too. I know you probably don't believe me, but I'm not going to let them get hurt."

"Then what do you have to say about the body?" His voice was full of accusation.

"You wouldn't let me near Claire. I can't protect her from whatever the hell is going on if I can't see her."

"You say the whole pack would do anything for Claire, why can't one of them protect her? Like that Mason kid?"

"Dad!" Claire hissed. I swallowed a knot of anger. If I freaked out at Anthony, if I lost my cool for even a second, he wouldn't let me see Claire. It took me a moment to realize with horror that maybe that was exactly what he wanted to happen. A new reason to hate me.

"It was just a simple question, Claire," Anthony defended. "No harm."

"Mason is a very touchy subject," Eliza informed him, sounding less taunting than usual, but with the same glint in her eye. Eliza thrived when in the presence of other people's drama, but she could never acknowledge her own.

"He is a very polite young man," Anthony said. He _had _to be fucking kidding. It didn't matter that he and I hadn't had a real fight in weeks, I still wanted to rip him apart limb by limb with my teeth like the leech that he secretly was. And I'd save his face for last so he could watch the whole thing. I bet his cocky grin wouldn't still be there while I ripped off his leg.

_Don't get angry, Quil, _I urged myself. _Now is not the time. Calm down._

"He is a sneaky, backstabbing, devious, conniving, annoying teenage boy who can't even get his mother to love him," I growled before I could help myself.

"Quil!" Claire scolded, yanking her hand from mine and glaring at me with eyes full of disappointment. _Shit, I should have kept my mouth shut_. _Damn it!_

"That's uncalled for, don't you think?" Anthony asked.

I managed to stop myself from yelling at him to shut up. "No, uncalled for is him deciding to stalk my girlfriend."

"You mean _my _daughter," Anthony scowled.

"Hi, I'm Claire. I'm my own person over here," Claire spoke up, "And Mason does not _stalk _me, Quil."

"Is this really the best time for a little one of your lovers' spats?" Eliza chimed in.

"Butt out, Liza," Claire and I said in unison. Eliza rolled her eyes in response and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

"What's the matter Quil, aren't confident enough in your relationship with Claire to trust her around other boys? Because you're coming across as kind of an ass," Anthony noted.

"For your information, Anthony, I trust Claire around other boys entirely, I just don't trust _him_ around _her._ But you could never understand, and I don't need to explain it to you."

"So you're jealous."

"I am _not _jealous," I insisted, my voice packed with intensity.

"Dad, Mason has no part in mine and Quil's relationship. Quil, we'll talk later. Can we please just change the subject?" Claire pleaded. As everyone fell into silence, I reflected on how horribly this evening was going. I was supposed to make Anthony like me, not grow to hate me all over again.

"Of course, baby, whatever you want," I told her gently, holding out my hand to her. She tried to fight off a semi-reluctant smile and returned her hand to where it belonged, in mine. From the corner of my vision I noticed Anthony roll his eyes.

"Okay, let's go back to talking about work. Do you plan to be a construction worker forever?" Anthony asked.

I composed myself as quickly as I could manage, "No, not really. I'm thinking maybe I could stay in the business, but eventually move up a little. Become a construction manager or a foreman or something like that."

"What about your other job? Are you ever going to stop phasing?"

"Of course. Claire isn't going to live forever, so either am I. I'm planning to stop probably once we get marr—later," I corrected quickly. Probably better if Anthony _didn't _know I had full intentions of marrying Claire the second she allowed me to.

It didn't matter if I hadn't finished the word though, Anthony knew full well what I was going to say, and his glare cut into me like a steak knife through butter.

"Once what, Quil?" Eliza asked sweetly, but with a mischievous glint in large green eyes. "I didn't quite catch what you said."

"Once we marry you off to Brady, of course," Claire smirked, effectively wiping the smug smile from Eliza's face. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she looked down at her plate as if steak and salad and potatoes were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen.

"Quil, I would just like to inform you that if you even _try_ to marry my daughter before she graduates college, I will personally hunt you down and it won't be pleasant." (Claire's face darkened too, and both girls at the table were sufficiently embarrassed. The difference was that Eliza deserved it.)

"Of course," I nodded, knowing that was never going to happen. If she let me, I was going to marry Claire the minute she turned eighteen. Anthony be damned.

"Well on that happy note, who wants dessert?"

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

The rest of the night was painfully awkward. The whole night in general was a mess.

Not a failure—Dad didn't aim a gun at Quil or threaten to have him arrested—but a mess all the same. I was naïve to think that my father and Quil could ever have the kind of relationship Quil and Sam had. My dad was even more stubborn than his daughters were, and really changing his opinion of Quil was going to be a long, painful process.

I did sense _some _progress though, when he let me say goodnight to Quil without him breathing down my neck.

"I should get going," Quil announced a little over an hour after he had arrived. He and my father shook hands stiffly, and then my father retreated to the living room to catch the end of a football game, saying that if I wasn't done saying goodbye in five minutes he was coming after me.

Quil stepped out in to the night and I followed behind him, closing the door after us.

"Well, tonight could have been worse," Quil grinned, staring affectionately down at me.

I shivered, not just because of the way Quil's eyes were on me, but also because I was just in a dress and it was probably forty degrees outside. "Cold?" Quil mused. I nodded and his grin widened. He pulled me into the warmth of his embrace, and everything melted away.

"I love you, Quil. One day my dad is going to really understand just how much," I whispered to him.

"I wish I didn't have to leave you here," Quil chuckled, kissing me softly on the lips, "Sleeping in my bed without you there sucks."

"Are you trying to make me miss you even more?" I sighed, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly.

"Sorry, baby. But it's the truth. I love you, too."

"I know you do," I hummed as he ran his warm fingers across my back.

"God, I love you so fucking much. Nothing anyone does can change that."

"I don't want it to change," I breathed, bringing my lips back to his, and leaving them there this time. I'd been waiting somewhat patiently for my kiss all evening. And Quil certainly made it worth the wait. His tongue found its way between my lips, causing me to sigh and slump into him. My knees were too weak from the kissing to properly support me. Quil didn't seem to mind, though. We kissed for a few minutes more, just drinking in each other's presence. Too soon, the front door opened again. Eliza was there, still in her pale blue dress from earlier, but without the shoes.

"Dad wants you to get your ass inside. Well, those weren't his actual words, but you get the drift." Her arms were crossed over her chest casually.

"Fine," I sighed, taking a step towards the door. "Will you come see me tonight?" I asked abruptly, turning back to Quil with hope filled eyes.

"If you want me to," he replied.

"I always want you to, besides we still need to talk about Mason," I reminded him, keeping my eyes on his exquisite face a second longer before I tore them away and entered the warmth of the house.

* * *

><p><em>Mason<em>

My sixth Sunday night at Quil and Embry's house started off like every other Sunday. I woke up with a sore back from sleeping on a lumpy couch, ate breakfast quickly so I wouldn't have to be in there at the same time as Quil or Embry, watched TV for a while, got kicked out of the living room by Embry, got bored, tried to bait Quil for a while, and then gave up on that eventually and did my homework. Then around dinnertime I watched Quil walk out the door to go see the girl I wanted and couldn't have and paced around the house for a bit, seething with anger and bitter jealousy. I shouldn't have let myself get so worked up over those sort of things, but I had a naturally short fuse and Quil knew it. He was intentionally rubbing his relationship with Claire in my face, and I couldn't even blame him. If I was with Claire, I sure as hell would want to do the same thing.

That particular Sunday evening I _really _couldn't handle it, though. Sitting around the house thinking about Quil being with Claire was driving me fucking crazy. I needed to get out of the house. I skimmed the refrigerator quickly and saw we were out of milk.

"I'm going to the store to get some milk," I called out to Embry—as if he really cared.

"You want to get me some Pringles?" He called back hopefully.

"Nope," I replied, waltzing out the door. I may have, if he hadn't changed the channel this morning to the damn Simpsons. I didn't hate Embry, not like I hated Quil. In fact, I honestly didn't mind him most of the time. Except when he'd moan and complain about his fourteen year old love that he couldn't possible bear to make a move on. That was just fucking annoying.

It was all the way dark by the time I arrived at the small convenience store just a quarter of a mile away from the house. It was okay for small grocery trips, like milk and eggs and stuff, but not good for much else. Another thing I hated about La Push: It was painfully small. My chest ached as I thought of California, and the house I had shared there with my mom. The sun always shone there, and I didn't even know that Claire Young existed. My mom didn't hate me back then. My grandma wasn't trying to get rid of me. I actually had a few friends. As I reminisced about my life there, I could almost hear my mother's soothing voice, asking if they took Visa cards.

Wait—no. That wasn't her voice in my memory. That made zero sense. But it was _her voice_. I realized with horror that it was coming from the cashier desk, probably fifteen feet away. How had I been so distracted that I hadn't picked up on her scent? I was the worst fucking werewolf ever. The carton of milk in my hand slipped from my grasp and splattered noisily on the floor, causing everyone in the store to turn and stare at me. Including my mother. I was staring back at her, absolutely frozen, and she let out a small gasp as she recognized me.

"I'll get a mop," the cashier called to me, "Let me just check this woman out and—"

"Never mind, I don't need anything," she told him softly, her voice as kind as always. Hearing it caused a hollow ache in my chest. When she turned away from the cashier and began a mad dash out of the store, I regained the ability to move. And I was chasing after her.

"Mom!" I called out once I exited the building. I found her frantically sticking her key in the car door to open it. "Mom, wait."

Even though she was my mother, it felt foreign and weird to call her that. She'd basically disowned me. As far as she was concerned, I probably wasn't even her son anymore. And she was half right. I _wasn't_ the son she knew.

"Hi Mason," she greeted flatly, finally managing to get the door open as I reached her car.

"I haven't heard from you in a while," I stated dumbly, not really sure what to say. It was so good to see her, but at the same time it made me horribly homesick.

"Well, you seem to be getting along alright," she said awkwardly, getting into her car.

"I'm.. uh, I'm behaving. Just thought you should know."

She looked at me for a moment as if she clearly didn't believe me, "That's great, Mason," she told me before closing her car door on me and starting the engine. Her car peeled out of the parking lot in record time. And just like that, she was gone.

She hadn't even wanted to talk to me. She saw me and fucking bolted. I felt sick, truly sick. The kind of sick I felt when I found Claire making out with Quil on the couch half-dressed. I hunched over and readied myself to vomit, but it wasn't that kind of sick. I wasn't sick to my stomach—I was sick to my… heart.

My mother hated me. She really hated me. Maybe Quil was right, maybe the world did hate me. Maybe Claire and Danny _were _insane for putting up with me. My own mother couldn't even fucking do it!

And then I started to run. It didn't matter if I was in a parking lot, and a man was walking to his car, I ran as fast as I could. The streets of La Push were basically deserted, and after cutting through a few neighborhoods and crossing a road or two, I arrived at the place I always went when I needed to think. Or be alone. Or freak out.

Tonight I needed to do a little bit of all three. But mainly, I had to channel my anger. Usually I would just do that by starting up a fight with Quil, but he was at Claire's—another reason to be bitter and full of rage. I stormed straight through the cemetery gates and stomped over to the grave of my father in a straight line, not caring that I was walking over buried bodies.

When I arrived at his tombstone, I fought the urge to kick it repeatedly. Instead, I spat on it. "I hate you," I growled at the square of grass. "Dead or alive you are the person I hate most in this world, and I hope you're rotting in hell."

An image flashed into my mind of my father's cruel smile, and a belt in his hand. I shuddered. I was beyond this. He was dead. I had no more reason to be afraid.

"All of this is your fault, too. If I hadn't found your grave in the first place, I wouldn't have gotten mad enough to phase. I can't believe mom even buried you, you bastard!" Claire talked to her mother all the time, claiming that she was there, listening. I hoped my father heard my words loud and clear. "I wouldn't have buried you. Filth like you doesn't belong in a cemetery. You should have just been thrown in the river. God, I just—" I clenched my fists together and actually did kick his headstone, "I hate you so much! You ruined my life! Dead or alive, you ruin it!" I was aware of the fact that I was yelling, but there were no houses close enough for people to hear me. Even if they did, I didn't fucking care. What was the point?

I was yanked into another flashback, and suddenly I was a terrified six year old boy again. All I'd wanted to do was help him. The injections he took and pills he swallowed always made him act differently, and it scared me. I thought if I hid his special needles and pills, he would grow to thank me one day. That day never came. But the next day, when he was looking for a high and found his sock drawer empty, he hit me. And he kept hitting me. Even ten years later the nightmares of belts flying toward my skin haunted me. And it wasn't just me who got punished either. He hit mom, too, just to prove that he _could_. Even then, at only six years old I hated him. I barely knew what hating someone truly meant, but I knew I hated him with all of my heart. Every single day I would try to hide his drugs, hoping that he would give up. Every day he would hit me until I would either cave and tell him where they were, or he would get tired of beating the shit out of me and go drown his sorrows in alcohol. When my dad died from an overdose later that year, I cried. Because I was sad? Hell no. Because I had never felt such a relief in my life as the moment he stopped breathing. Over time the memories of my father faded slightly, but the physical and emotional scars he had inflicted on me could never be removed. The sick part was that my mother did mourn his death. He beat her, and she loved him. My mother could love a husband who beat her, but not a son who had to keep secrets. That was us, the Clark-Ateara family, complete with a mom who abandons her children, a dad who was a lot farther down than six feet under, and a semi-orphan/abandoned son who couldn't get a single person in the world to love him. A happy family.

I tried to laugh bitterly, but the laugh got caught in my throat. There was a huge lump in my throat, and as I realized what it was, I panicked. No way was I going to cry. Not because of this. My father wasn't worth my tears, my father wasn't worth anything. Certainly not the plot of land he rested on.

Another memory was called forth to the front of my mind. Shortly after I had become a werewolf—right after I'd pulled Claire from her room and talked to her for the second time—when I'd confronted my mom about my father's grave.

"Why? Why did you do that for him? He doesn't deserve it!" I had shouted.

"He was your father, Mason," she sighed.

"Don't you remember what he did to me? What he did to you? How could you love him? How could you?" My voice broke.

"He wasn't all bad, Mason. There are just some things you don't understand. Someday you will."

My body had shook with uncontrollable anger, and I knew I would have to get out of there before I blew up into a fur-covered beast. "Damn right I don't understand! If you love me, you should hate him, too!" I had stormed out of the house at that point, unable to look at her. The memory shattered like a hammer going through a window, and I was back in the graveyard, the night chill clinging to my skin.

What could my mother have ever seen in this man? My mother—who was so meek and gentle and kind; so positive and full of life. Why did she love someone who caused her so much pain. Why did Claire stay with him?

A chill racked down my spine as I realized that maybe I wasn't thinking of my parents at all. This wasn't about my mother loving my father. This was about Quil and Claire. _Wasn't everything?_

Why were girls such martyrs? Why did they love the people who were so obviously wrong for them? Quil was possessive, and aggressive, and frankly, obsessive. And he had the personality of a fence post. Claire was perfect. She could do better than him. Hell, she could do better than me. My mom was a fool to stay with my dad and be the victim, and after everything he put her through she was still wrapped around his finger. I couldn't let Claire end up the same way. I wouldn't. I'd come too far in the past ten years to watch another woman I loved be ruined by a guy.

Whatever I did, I would save Claire. I would protect her. And if Quil so much as thought about laying a hand on her with violent intentions, I would kill him.

History would not repeat itself.

* * *

><p><em>*The second amendment to the constitution was the right to bear arms.<em>


	47. Thaeo

**A/N: I know! These updates are coming pretty rapid-fire for me, but I still have one chapter to write before the Thanksgiving chapter, and I **_**really **_**want to post that one on Thanksgiving, so expect another update before Thursday. In case you were curious, we're slowly getting closer to the end. The story will hopefully be done by the end of 2012 if I can keep pace. One last note, the name of this chapter is pronounced "Tay-Oh" and I think it's one a lot of you have been waiting for ;) Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Lilly<em>

Before the judging begins, allow me to explain that everything I did was with good intentions. I knew full well that I was betraying my best friend, lying to her face, and I knew that she would be weary to forgive me for it. But I also knew that if I didn't do something, no one ever would. Collin would try in vain for the next twenty years to do a two man job on his own. Even if he was marginally successful, I needed my best friend to be happy _now_, not just twenty years in the future.

So there, I did what I had to do. And I wasn't all too sorry about it either. Well, I _did_ feel bad about turning Travis down, but going out with him was something way too complicated for my already divided mind to worry about. Or at least, that's what I told myself to cover up the truth that the reason I couldn't date him was because I was tragically in love with Embry.

Travis took it with dignity, giving me a friendly hug and insisting it was no big deal and he understood. He had a wounded look in his eyes, but I'd have to worry about that later.

Needless to say, lunch on Monday was more uncomfortable than trying to squeeze an elephant inside a gym locker.

"So, did everyone have a good time on Friday?" Marco asked as we all sat down. He was so pathetically oblivious. Involuntarily my mind wandered back to Embry. _All guys are blind idiots, _I decided.

"Danny and I made another date for this weekend! He is so sweet!" Gaby gushed, she was the only person at the table who seemed to have had a good time on the date, and I found that I was actually happy for her. Gaby was at times shallow, and often ditzy, but I had no reason to dislike her. She was good at heart in there somewhere.

Camille, on the other hand, did not. "Ugh, I am so over Brady. He's attractive, but I told him that I wasn't interested."

"Really?" Eliza asked, looking up from her sandwich suspiciously.

"Yeah, you missed it because it was after your date ditched you and you ran out," Camille replied sharply.

"I don't remember that happening, Camille," Gaby said innocently, "I thought Brady was feeling sick." A chuckle nearly found its way out of my throat, but I covered it up by faking a cough. Camille noticed and kicked me discreetly under the table with her boot.

When Eliza got out of her little depression, she was going to owe me _big _for making me put up with the wicked witch of the northwest all this time.

Camille narrowed her eyes at Gaby, who promptly closed her mouth.

"Well, either way, he's a square. You were right all along, Liza. He's not boyfriend material at all. It's a good thing neither of us have feelings for him, right?" Camille batted her eyes and placed her head in her hands with her elbows propped on the table. She was trying to look innocent, but her snake eyes gave her away in an instant.

"Right," Eliza said after a moment, not meeting her eyes. My face contorted with confusion. Eliza wasn't one to let Camille push her around. Eliza wasn't the type of girl to let _anyone _push her around.

I caught up to her after lunch on the way to our next class, which we shared. "Hey, Liza."

She didn't respond.

"Look, I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for teasing you on Friday. It was wrong. I was just having a bad day and needed someone to take it out on," I recited the lines that Collin and I had spent all yesterday going over. _If I pull this off,_ I thought to myself idly, _I deserve an Oscar._

Eliza softened noticeably, "It's okay, Lilly. I forgive you. I haven't really been myself lately, either."

_You can say _that_ again. _

"Let's do something tomorrow after school. Maybe get some yogurt and go shopping?"

"No. No yogurt," Eliza said abruptly.

"Don't worry, Brady isn't going to be there. He and some of the other guys caught scent of that vampire this morning, and they're chasing her down. They're all the way in Canada by now and aren't supposed to be back 'till tomorrow night," I assured her.

"I don't know, Lilly…"

"Please? I feel like I barely get to see you anymore. It'll be fun. Girls' day," I persuaded, just like Collin and I had discussed. Everything was going according to plan.

"Okay, fine," Eliza half-smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

_Me too, Eliza. Me too._

Plan A was officially in motion.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

"Mr. Sexy is entering the lunchroom, I repeat, Mr. Sexy is entering the lunchroom," Melissa gushed Monday during our lunch period. I didn't even need to check to know who she meant, but I looked his way anyway. Mason. I waved politely at him and he smiled. Something seemed different about him today, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Your obsession with him really is sick, you know," Kallia laughed. "If he ever finds out he's going to file for a restraining order."

"Well then he better get one for me, too. I would give anything to jump those bones," Brewer giggled.

"Gross, I'm eating here," I reminded them, lifting up my bag of goldfish to prove it.

"Come on, Claire, we all know he gives you the lusties, too," Brewer said.

"Lusties?" I shook my head as if to say 'What am I supposed to do with you?' Talking about Mason at the lunch table was always uncomfortable, but even more so today, after I had yet another talk with Quil the night before about how he needed to try and make nice with him.

"Yeah, Claire, I'll be nice when he stops dreaming of you in your underwear," Quil had retorted angrily.

I wished I could go over and see Quil after school, and spend time talking to him about anything other than Mason, my dad, and vampires, but that would be impossible today. Quil had went off with half of the pack to follow Lilah's trail. I wished secretly that Mason could have went instead of Quil, and then felt bad.

"Yes, lusties. You obviously like him, you hang out with him all the time. And you give him rides home from school," Brewer commented.

"Trust me, I do _not _like Mason that way, we're just friends."

"With benefits?" Melissa inclined an eyebrow.

"No!" I replied quickly, shuddering at the idea of it, "Don't be ridiculous."

"If you don't want to fuck Mason, you're either blind, lying, or a lesbian," Melissa sang cheerily.

"Or she already _has _a boyfriend, guys," Kallia said, rolling her eyes.

"Wait, what?" Brewer spit her water across the table.

"Kallia!" I hissed, hitting her hard on the arm, "You promised you wouldn't say anything!"

Kallia smacked her forehead, "Shit! It just slipped out. Oh no, I'm the worst best friend ever!"

"Claire has a boyfriend!" Melissa stuttered.

"And we're _just_ finding this out?" Brewer added.

"No, where did you get that idea?" Kallia asked, glancing around nervously.

"It's fine Kallia, guess I can't really deny it now," I sighed.

"Sorry, Claire," Kallia looked down at the table shamefully.

"Who is it? Do we know him? Spill! We need details!" Brewer squealed.

I looked away from the table briefly, and found Mason's eyes watching me carefully. It made me feel both very uncomfortable and strangely safe.

"_I'll be nice when he stops dreaming of you in your underwear," Quil had retorted angrily._

"Why don't you tell them, Kallia? I need to go get some air," I said dismissively, standing up from the table.

In reality, I just needed to get away from the strange intensity in Mason's eyes.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

Monday night I found myself unable to sleep for the fourth night in a row. I groaned, wondering how many nights of two hours of sleep it would take until makeup couldn't disguise the bags under my eyes. I had already wiped all of my makeup off for the night, and had to admit I looked haggard. My freshly washed hair was drying to its natural curls, and I frowned at them. They'd be gone by morning, I reminded myself, replaced by the tame straightness that could only come from my flat iron. By morning, I would be back to _her_, the robot that I tried to pretend was actually me. The girl who didn't feel anything about anyone. The girl who wasn't really me. I sighed and rolled over in bed, checking the time on my alarm clock. It wasn't even eleven. I could have went next door and talked to Claire, but she was fast asleep. I envied her.

A gentle knock on the widow startled me out of my frustration, and I turned to it. To any other girl, someone knocking on their second story window would be strange and terrifying—I was used to it. I squinted through the darkness to identify the face and groaned. What did Collin want now? I got up, trudged over to the window, and glared into his eyes before pulling the curtains shut on him.

"Psssssst, Eliza," I heard him whisper-yell through the thin glass.

I opened the curtain slightly, peered through it, and mouthed "Get lost" with as much viciousness as I could manage.

"I need to talk to you," he mouthed back. I let out a loud breath before wrenching the curtain all the way back and pulling my window open. It's not like I had anything better to do. Collin crawled through my window without a word, and I returned to sit on my bed, turning on a lamp as I went.

"What?" I asked him sharply.

"I never really had the chance to explain myself on Friday, and I think you deserve an explanation," he shared earnestly.

"I don't want to talk to you," I snapped.

Collin half-grinned, "Then you really shouldn't have let me in."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine, whatever, talk."

"Okay, well, first of all I would like to apologize for kissing you. That was not cool of me… at all. Especially for the reasons I did it. And I shouldn't have went along with the fake flirting. And I definitely shouldn't have just left you there when I got angry."

"Why did you agree to the date?" I asked, not wanting to let on that I cared, but unable to contain my curiosity.

"Same reason you did, Sweetheart, to rub it in Brady's face."

I growled at him. "First of all, my name is not Sweetheart. Or Blondie. It's Eliza. Second of all, I wasn't rubbing _anything _in Brady's face."

"Oh really?" Collin raised an eyebrow. "Not even when you kissed me at your birthday? I know I'm desirable, but something tells me I'm no more your type than you are mine, _Sweetheart_."

"Why are you really here, Collin? To explain yourself… or to get me to?" My eyes shifted over him critically.

Collin chuckled, "You know me."

"Well, I hate to disappoint but there's nothing _to _explain, Collin. This is who I am."

"I'll tell you who I see," Collin said, "A sad girl full of secrets who doesn't want anyone to know just how big her heart is."

"You know that's not true," I said defensively. When had Collin become an expert at reading people? "You're the captain of the 'Eliza Doesn't Have a Soul' committee."

"Chairman," Collin corrected, "But I resigned. You do have a heart, I can see that now. And I'd bet my life that every little beat it makes sounds like this 'Brady. Brady. Brady.'"

"You're crazy. Get out of my room," I said flatly, forcing any emotion or expression that could give insight to how I was feeling to get lost.

"Not any crazier than you," Collin shot back. "But at least I'm not lying to myself. Why can't you just admit that you like Brady and save yourself all this teenage angsty turmoil?"

"Angsty turmoil? One, that doesn't exist. Two, I am not lying to myself."

"Wow, I wish I could meet the guy who broke your heart. He must have had magical powers to mess you up _this_ bad," Collin commented.

"Wh—what?" There was _no_ way Collin knew about Thaeo. Absolutely no way. "What are you talking about?"

"The guy who turned you into this lifeless person, I know there was a guy."

"Why would you think that? Maybe I was always this way."

Collin shook his head, "Eliza, I've known quite a few basket cases in my life. Behind every damaged girl is a dickhead guy."

Who was he calling a basket case? I wasn't crazy! _Was I? _

"Come on, what was his name?" Collin pressed.

I didn't mean to respond. I didn't plan to respond. I hadn't wanted to respond. But somehow, the name slipped out of my lips. And then I couldn't take it back. "Thaeo," I mumbled.

"Tay who?" Collin asked, leaning in as if he misheard me.

"_Thaeo,_" I repeated. "We were… hell, we were best friends for a long time. You probably never met him, though."

"What happened?" Collin asked gently. I was surprised to find no amusement in his voice, no playfulness. The way he spoke made me _want_ to open up, want to have someone know. It was a ridiculous feeling, but a part of me wanted to allow Collin a peek at the the things that tormented me.

And the story just spilled out of me. It had been so long since I'd told anyone about Thaeo, that it felt good to let it out. "I met him before I even knew Lilly. We were neighbors, back when mom was still alive. I met him when I was just five years old. He was a year older than I, and we went to Quileute Valley Elementary together. He didn't think I was the weird white girl at a Native American school, and he stood up to any of the kids who tried to tease me. I admired him. We would always play together after school, running around and getting into trouble. I would laugh so hard I'd cry when we were together. Then, when mom died, and I'd cry out in pain, he would be there for me. He'd hug me and tell me everything was going to be okay, and one day it wouldn't hurt so bad.

"When Embry imprinted, and Lilly came into the picture, I was ecstatic because then I had two best friends. But as I got a little older, I realized I felt different about Thaeo than I did Lilly. Lilly was my best friend, Thaeo was… more than that. I spent all of fourth and fifth grade crushing on him, dreaming that one day he would sweep me off of my feet and tell me he liked me, too. And he did, kind of. On the last day of fifth grade—he was a sixth grader then—he kissed me on the lips and told me he liked me. It was my first kiss, and also the best moment of my childhood life at the time. That summer we were childhood sweethearts, always together running around and having a blast, and I would imagine us getting older and getting married. I guess I was in love with him, in a childlike way. It was the best summer I could imagine. But I wasn't completely happy. I didn't like the kids in La Push who would laugh at me for sticking out like a sore thumb, with my blonde hair and pale skin. So I decided I wanted to go to school with Lilly, and the other kids like me. I wanted to fit in for once. When I told Thaeo, he was so mad at me. He thought I didn't like him anymore. I told him that wasn't true, and promised him we'd still see each other all the time. And we did. We 'dated' for my entire first half of sixth grade, and I was obliviously happy.

"But then one day, I was at the beach, and I saw Thaeo there. He was kissing another girl. She was in his grade, her name was Jules. I barged up to them with tears in my eyes and asked him what he was doing. He turned to me in surprise, and then he laughed. He laughed at me. 'Come on, Eliza' he said 'Did you really think you are the only girl that I kiss?' I told him that I did, and he laughed harder. 'Eliza, we've had a good run, but I don't think we're going to work out' he told me. At that point I started to cry 'What do you mean?' I asked him. He told me, 'I don't like you anymore. You're not pretty enough, you're not smart enough, you're too short, and you're a traitor. You thought you were too good for me, too good for La Push. You had it backwards. You're not good enough for me. You're not good enough for anyone.' I cried harder then. 'Stop crying, Eliza. It's pathetic, only babies cry,' he started to walk away. 'I never want to speak to you again, Thaeo!' I yelled at him. He told me he was counting on it. And—and I haven't seen him since."

As I finished the story, I realized that I had tears in my eyes, and mentally slapped myself for showing such weakness in front of Collin of all people.

It was quiet for a long time as Collin just stared at me. "Eliza—" He started to say.

"Don't talk. Please. I don't need your pity, Collin. I'm fine. It was a long time ago."

"And it's stuck with you, Liza. You're not fine. Bottling everything up isn't healthy, and it isn't going to solve any of your problems."

"Collin, please save the lecture. I explained myself, you win. Happy? Good. Now get out of my room. I'm tired," I lied. I couldn't stand to see the pity in his eyes any longer.

He opened his mouth, like he was about to protest, but then stopped. "As you wish," he sighed. "Good night, Liza." He walked up to me and gave me a friendly kiss on the top of my head before turning and letting himself fall backward out of the window. A second later I heard a thud as he landed—presumably on his feet. After a second, I got up and gently closed my window. Then, I went back to lying on my bed, where I stared at the ceiling for a very, _very _long time.

* * *

><p><em>Lilly<em>

Eliza looked pretty dead in the water at school that day, and I was with her. I'd received a text from Collin at eleven thirty at night and had stayed up half of the night setting things up for today. Eliza and Brady _better _be grateful for this someday, because getting them together was seriously draining.

But Collin had done his job. He'd talked to Eliza. She'd opened up to him about Thaeo, and given him details that even _I _hadn't known. Now it was my turn to play my part. And I couldn't afford to mess it up.

After the final bell rang, Eliza and I changed out of our gym clothes and set off on the short walk to The Avenue, talking about everything and nothing as we went. A Channing Tatum movie coming to theaters, a history test scheduled for Thursday, the weather, basically anything that didn't have to do with us personally. I liked talking to Eliza without fighting, but this meaningless banter wasn't much better.

The first genuine emotion I saw on Eliza's face was just after we'd sat down at a table at Swirl, when Brady and Collin walked out of the break room. Eliza stood up from her chair noisily, glaring at me with intense anger written all over her face. She didn't say anything, just stormed out, not even bothering to pick her bag back up.

I didn't let myself get offended, I'd expected that. I was just happy she'd left something behind. My eyes followed her as she barged down the street and disappeared into Victoria's Secret.

Once she was inside, I turned to look at Brady, who had a very conflicted look fixed to his face. "Well?" I asked expectantly.

"Well what?" He replied.

"Go after her," I told him. Brady stared at me blankly, like I'd lost my ever-loving mind. He was probably right.

"Why should I?" Brady huffed, "And besides, I'm working."

"Lilly and I will cover for you," Collin suggested, winking at me.

"What the hell are you two up to?" Brady asked suspiciously, glancing between us.

"She doesn't have her cell phone, or her bag," I reminded, changing the subject smoothly, "At least go return them to her."

"Why can't you do it?" Brady frowned.

"Just go after her, man. You know you want to. And I know she wants you to," Collin chimed.

Brady mumbled something like "Yeah right" but walked around the counter anyway, throwing down his apron and scooping up Eliza's bag from my feet. He gave me the evil eye and then left, going the same way Eliza had fled. As the door fell shut behind him, I turned back to Collin.

"It's out of our hands now," I told him, retrieving Brady's apron from the floor and putting it on.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

I should have expected this from Collin, but _Lilly_? Lilly was supposed to be _there for me._ I was such an idiot. Lilly makes plans to go get frozen yogurt at the place Brady and Collin work claiming they wouldn't be working, and then Collin shows up at my house later that night? _Ugh!_

It was only once I arrived at Victoria's Secret that I realized I didn't have my phone, or any money, or my school bag. So basically, I was stranded unless I swallowed my anger and went back to Lilly, which I _definitely _wasn't going to do.

_Well then what _are _you going to do, dumbass? _Common sense asked.

_Shut up,_ I growled at it. My insanity was through-the-roof. More so than usual.

Unsure of what to do, I began to browse mindlessly through the merchandise. Brightly colored sweatpants, underwear, and bras all blurred together. I picked up a silky blue bra and ran my fingers over it, finding it strangely calming.

Seeing Brady had been too much. I'd met eyes with him as he walked out of the break room, and my stomach flipped. I felt sick and anxious and flustered and self-conscious and most of all—mad. Furious, even. How dare Brady have the nerve to offer me a ride home after he'd let Camille fling herself at him! How dare he try to be nice to me after ignoring me _and _sticking his tongue down Camille's throat at my party. If Brady got within reaching distance, I was going to punch him in his annoying face. And kick him. And then steal his car, drive to Camille's house, and slap her across _her _face, and pull her hair, and do a plethora of other violent things.

I didn't know why I was so enraged by the situation, but I wanted to scream and cry and bang my fists on the walls and stamp my feet on the ground when I thought of Brady kissing Camille. I wanted to call both of them every mean name I could think of.

Yeah, Brady's crush on me had been infuriating, but it was weird seeing him act that way around another girl… Devoting his attention to another girl. I know I'd told him time and time again to get over me, but when he actually _did_…. Hell, I just didn't know what to think. But it _hurt_.

Behind me, I heard the voice of a man clear his throat. I turned around quickly—surprised by the noise—and practically stood chest-to-chest with Brady. "Oh," I gasped, backing up quickly and nearly knocking over a sale rack in the process. "It's you." My voice sounded… distant. I didn't want to sound distant, I _wanted_ to sound pissed off at him.

Without meaning to, I looked up and met his eyes. They were so warm, so welcoming, like anyone could just get lost in them and rest assured that they would always be safe. I looked away before I could start blushing, and saw what he was holding. My bag.

"You left this," he informed me.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for uh… bringing it back," I muttered.

"Nice bra," Brady smirked, inclining his head at the silky blue fabric still in my hand. I blushed—whether I wanted to or not—and dropped it.

"Creep," I accused, but without the usual malice behind it. Brady's smirk transformed into a hesitant grin.

"Can I, uh, talk to you? In private?" Brady asked.

Adrenaline flooded my entire body. The idea of talking to Brady in private was both terrible and exhilarating at the same time, and I didn't understand why or how that was possible. I wanted to say no. I should have said no. It would have been smarter to just say no, take my bag, and walk out.

"Sure," I relented. Brady let out a deep breath and handed me my bag—like he now thought it was safe to return it to me without me running—then walked out of the store. I followed after him, cursing myself as I went.

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

I was so nervous that Eliza would not let me speak to her that I hadn't actually considered what I would say if she did. Collin had told me about the boy, and I wanted to talk to her about it, and hopefully grovel at her feet for flirting with her frenemy. But, since I was a horrible idiot when it came to her, I didn't have a clue how to start. That's Eliza for you, robbing even the most self-confident guys of every shed of courage they had. She was so beautiful and terrifying it surprised me that a guy was ever able to get the better of her. We crossed the street and I guided her down the road a block until we reached the small park in the middle of town. It was mostly empty, and would serve as an okay place to talk without being overheard.

"Are we going to talk now? Or is your idea of talking walking endlessly down the sidewalk?" Eliza asked impatiently. She was so cute. Why was she so cute?

"Here is good," I decided, going in the direction of a park bench. As I walked, I found myself wanting to take her hand, but refrained. It was a miracle she agreed to talk to me, I couldn't push it and throw all of the 'I love you' cards at her.

She sat down on the bench beside me, leaving a cautious distance and her bag between us. She crossed her arms over her chest like she was bored, but her shoulders were rigid. "Talk," she ordered softly yet sternly.

For a second I swore I couldn't remember a single sentence in the English language other than 'I love you,' and again had to stop myself. "Well, where do I start… Um, I'm sorry for being an ass on Friday. I wasn't really myself," Wow, I sounded like even more of an ass trying to apologize. Shoot me.

Eliza sighed, "Brady, you have nothing to apologize for. I mean really, what did you even do? You flirted with another girl, I kissed your best friend, it doesn't matter. We're not dating, it's not cheating, there's no issue."

The fact that she could mention kissing Collin so casually made my blood boil. _Stop it, _I ordered myself, _Collin isn't actually interested in her. He isn't interested in her._ But how did she think it could not matter? Everything she did mattered. Everything I did mattered—whether she wanted it to or not. Eliza couldn't live her life shrugging off every bad thing that happened to her.

"There is an issue, though. I didn't ask Camille out because she was pretty, or because I liked her, I did it to make you mad. I wanted to hurt you. That is inexcusable."

Eliza looked at me sideways, realized I was staring right back at her, and quickly averted her eyes. "Wh—what do you expect me to say to that?" She asked in a breathy voice. I could have been hearing things, but she sounded slightly flustered.

"You don't have to say anything. Just know that I acknowledge the fact that I was being a dick, and that I'm sorry. You don't have to forgive me."

Eliza surprised me, something she constantly did. She laughed. "So I kissed Collin because I was mad at you, and you kissed Camille because you were mad at me?"

My heart stuttered in my chest, "So you were mad?"

Eliza blushed deeply, but then tried quickly to cover it up, "Insulted is the word I would use. I mean, being interested in me already proved you had bad taste, but then going for Camille? I was offended to be put on the same level as that bitch."

I could have told her that her and Camille were miles apart, and asked why she talked to Camille if she hated her so much, but something else she said jumped out at me too much to be ignored. "Liza, why would you think that a guy who… likes you has bad taste?"

"Obvious reasons. I'm bossy, controlling, shallow, sneaky, loud, and just a general bitch." She said it so plainly, like it was an accepted fact by all and she was just relaying the message.

I shook my head for a moment, completely amazed that she could be so unaware of her flawlessness. "These thoughts… thinking you're inadequate, they came from that bastard kid, didn't they?"

Slowly, Eliza turned to face me, her eyes as deep as always, but closed-off. "Let me guess, you talked to Collin," Eliza presumed flatly.

"Maybe just a little," I admitted ashamedly. I knew Eliza's past love-life was none of my business, and I had no right to know such private things about her, but it felt good to know. For the first time since I'd met her, I felt like I could finally see past Eliza's creamy skin and find the torment in her soul.

"Damn Collin," Eliza cursed. "Damn him into the deepest pit of hell."

"I just thought you should know that that guy is a jackass, and he was wrong about you. If you believe a single word he said to you, then he won. I was under the impression that Eliza Young never loses a fight," I commented.

Eliza gave a half-hearted smile and looked down at her fingers, which were now intertwined on her lap. "Thanks, I guess," she said after a full minute of silence. "Can this talk be over now?"

"Yeah, sure, just one more thing," I said quickly, holding on to the last bit of nerve I had. She raised an eyebrow expectantly, and I did what my heart had been longing for for weeks. I kissed her.

It wasn't a rough kiss, or a passionate one, just a gentle, brief meeting of my lips on hers. Before she could say anything, or more likely, _yell_ anything, I got up and hurried away, mentally high-fiving myself as I went.

* * *

><p><strong>See you in a few days when we return to Quil and Claire's story! REVIEW PLEASE!<strong>


	48. Enemies' Alliance

**Yup, another update. Read the chapter. Full A/N at the end.**

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Weeks passed, and October melted into November. The air was getting noticeably colder and the sheets of rain that fell on my skin whenever I was outside felt like tiny pricks of ice. Sometimes I wondered how I could stand to live somewhere with such miserable weather, until Quil's face was called forth to the front of my mind and I'd remember that there is no place I'd rather be.

Unless of course Quil wanted to move to Hawaii, then I'd probably rather be there…

Thinking of Quil was depressing. Even though I still saw him, he was gone even more than he was around. Every few days or so a fresh Lilah trail would be found somewhere within a fifty mile radius of La Push and the pack would go out hunting her again. But no matter how much they searched, no matter how close they got, they couldn't find her. Even stranger than her ability to get so close but remain so far was how quiet she had been. No bodies turned up dead and drained of blood, no reports of vicious animal attacks in the area, no sign of trouble for anyone. That was the most disconcerting part. On top of that, Eliza had become fairly silent. She wasn't teasing anyone or prying into my personal life or hanging out with friends after school. She wasn't really saying much of anything unless someone addressed her directly. It was peculiar behavior—especially for her.

It wasn't all bad, though. With the pack always out hunting, Nessie had found her way over to the house a lot. It was nice to have her over… Nessie brought an element of familiarity back into my life. She would paint my nails one day, and then come over and watch eighties classics with me the next. (Unlike Eliza and Quil, Renesmee liked old things. Her family was full of them.)

Dad adored Nessie and always welcomed her in the house, despite the fact that she wasn't human. It just went to show that no one was immune to Nessie's enigmatic ability to charm everyone she met.

My days were spent with Nessie, but my nights were spent painfully alone. In the last three weeks, Quil had only come to visit me in my room seven or eight times, and I missed him so terribly that my stomach ached. At night while I lay in bed it was impossible not to think of him, where he could be, and if he was safe. I couldn't breathe right until I got a text from him every morning, assuring me that all was well with him and they hadn't found her. The last two nights without him had been excruciating.

Tonight was different though, because despite the fact that I would be sleeping alone, tomorrow was Saturday and Quil had promised he would come over in the morning so we could spend the day together. The thought of getting to hold him in my arms again made me anxious enough for morning that I was able to fling myself into a deep sleep.

…

_In my dreams that night, the air was cold. Frost covered the ground outside of my house and the sky was starless and dark. I looked around with confusion, wondering what I would be doing outside in my pajamas in weather this freezing. I was standing in the back of the house, under the tree that stood outside my bedroom windows. _

_I blew hot breath on my hands and rubbed them together, attempting to stay warm. If only Dream Quil could show up and keep me warm, I thought idly. At that moment, I felt a warm sticky raindrop plop on my forehead. I lifted my finger up to it, surprised by the warmth and texture, and then brought my hand back in front of my eyes to examine it. In the blackness of the night, I just barely noticed the darkness staining my finger. It was too opaque to be water, and much too dark. In fact, it looked almost like… _blood.

_Confused, I tilted my head up to the sky, hoping to find where the mystery drop had come from. Before I could stop myself a scream ripped through my dream-self's throat. Another body was hanging from the tree outside my bedroom window. But this time, it wasn't Nora._

_It was me._

…

I woke with a start and sat up in bed, letting out a terrified breath. _It was just a dream,_ I told myself. _Just a stupid nightmare._

I checked the time on the digital clock by my bed and found it was drawing close to five in the morning. I shivered, still feeling the remnants of the icy tendrils of air from my dream. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my window was open, causing the chill in my room. I shook my head at myself. I must have gotten up and opened it in my sleep, hoping that Quil would come visit me. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd done something like that. I sighed and dragged myself out of bed, padding over to the window to slide it shut. As I did, I glanced out at the tree where my body had been hanging from in my nightmare. For some reason, I felt the need to reassure myself that my dead self wasn't _actually _dangling from the branches. I wasn't of course, but as I narrowed my eyes, I thought I could make out a dark form not too far from the trunk of the tree, crouched down and staring at me with red eyes. I gasped and blinked a few times and it was gone.

_Stop being so paranoid, no wonder you keep getting these nightmares, _I scolded myself. Letting out a deep sigh, I shut the window all the way and locked it before crawling back into the warmth in my bed and falling back into a dreamless sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the sky was drearier than I had seen it in weeks. Everything was gray and rain pattered gently on my windows. I stretched and dressed in comfy clothes before heading downstairs to make some tea. I passed by my father's office to find him already busy at work. Once in the kitchen, I put the kettle on the stove to boil and sat down at the table, picking at my nails.

Before the water was done, the doorbell rang. I hopped up excitedly and made a beeline for the front door, just managing to contain my giddiness. Quil could not see me as a woman if every time I saw him I squealed like a girl and flung myself into his arms. I opened the door and attempted to smile casually, leaning against the doorframe, "Hey babe," I greeted. The cool smile on my face melted away instantly though when I got a real look at Quil. His eyes were narrowed, his posture rigid, and his whole body was vibrating.

"Quil?" I asked in a small voice, suddenly alarmed. He pushed past me into the house and barged up the stairs, still shaking, still not saying a word. "Quil what's going on?" Worry took control of every cell in my body. It had been a long time since I'd seen Quil so… upset? Enraged? Furious? Animalistic?

He stopped in the entrance of my bedroom, sniffed the air, and then slowly turned back to face me. "Someone was in here," he growled, shaking so hard that his body appeared almost blurry.

I went cold all over. _"What?"_

"A vampire," he clarified through his teeth. "And its smell is only a few hours old."

_The open window, _I realized, _the human figure in the tree._ I shivered all over again. No. No it wasn't possible. There was no way.

"Was it—Was it—" I couldn't bring myself to say her name. Quil didn't need to hear it though, he knew.

"No," he shook his head slowly. "Someone else. Someone with impeccable fucking timing."

"What does that mean?" I asked, placing a hand on his arm to steady myself.

"It means that she isn't alone. This isn't a coincidence, Claire. While I've been out playing cat and mouse, someone else has been waiting in the shadows." His eyes were burning with more anger than I'd ever seen, and I felt a flash of true terror. No matter how sweet and gentle Quil seemed to me, this was always another side to him. The wolf-side. The hunter. The killing machine. It made my stomach twist.

"Calm down, Quil. I'm fine, see. They didn't touch me. You need to get yourself under control now, before something bad happens," I kept my hand on his arm as a reminder that he couldn't phase now. That he couldn't hurt me. That had always worked in the past, but now he only started shaking more violently.

"Something bad already _did _happen! What do you think, Claire? That they were just popping by to say hello? Do you think they couldn't have killed you if they felt like it? There's a reason whoever dropped by last night left you alive! And now they know how easy it is to get close to you, to catch you unprotected! They're playing with us, Claire!" He yelled furiously, gripping my shoulders and begging me with his eyes to understand.

"But they did leave me alive, and we're going to protect me, and nothing is going to happen," I soothed, surprised that there was a vampire in my room who could have killed me while I slept, and _I_ was the one trying to calm _Quil _down.

"What's going on here?" Dad asked suspiciously, coming up behind us with his arms crossed over his chest. I noticed Eliza standing behind him, peeking over his shoulder curiously.

"Someone was in here while you all slept last night. A vampire. In Claire's room. But I don't recognize the scent."

The reaction was immediate. Starting in his eyes and spreading throughout the rest of his body like wildfire. Anger. Dad yanked me away from the still-unstable Quil and moved me behind him to where Eliza stood. "I thought you were supposed to protect her, Quil. I thought you won't let anything happen to my girls," he accused, stepping forward to get in Quil's face. His lividness was palpable.

"Dad," I warned gently, "He thought I was safe here. After all, they were tracking down Lilah way far south of here. They couldn't have known that she would have an accomplice—"

"Well they should have!" He shouted, not turning away from Quil.

"You're right," Quil confessed, self-loathing noticeable in his voice. "I underestimated her."

"Why her?" Dad pressed, not letting any anger loose, "What do they want from Claire?"

"I don't know," Quil replied through his teeth. "But whatever it is, they can't have her. I want you to know that I am not letting Claire out of my sight until both of those leeches are reduced to ashes, mark my words."

I slipped around my furious parent and placed my hands on Quil's chest. "You won't let anyone hurt me Quil, I trust you. Don't hurt me, don't phase. Calm down, baby. Breathe."

Downstairs, I heard the screaming of the kettle on the stove. "Your water is ready," Eliza stated obviously.

"Can you get that, Liza?" I asked, not moving away from Quil. I didn't see if she nodded or not, but her footsteps carried down the hall toward the stairs and a minute later the whistling ceased. Upstairs, we stood in a heavy silence. Dad looked tensed to spring, like at any minute he had to be ready to rip me away from Quil if his temper started flaring up again. He didn't need to though, because slowly Quil's body returned to normal, and the anger seeped away. Once his body stopped its quivering, Quil pulled me into a crushing hug and stroked my hair. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and willed myself not to cry. I couldn't show my fear. I couldn't stand to see the look on Quil's face if he knew just how terrified I really was. I would be strong for him. I had no choice.

"Come on, Claire," he said upon releasing me, "we have a pack meeting to call."

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

Fury is a dangerous thing. It can turn the most composed of people into unpredictable madmen. Today I had given into my fury, and I had barely been able to reclaim control before it was too late. After I had caught the stench of bloodsucker in Claire's room, all bets were off. It was in her hair too, as if the bastard who had stopped by had run their icy cold fingers through it. The visit hadn't accomplished much. Nothing was taken, no one was harmed, but that was exactly how Lilah had wanted it. She simply wanted to show us how strong she was, how sneaky she was, and she wanted us to be scared.

It worked. Oh, did it ever work. Stronger than my rage was my terror. This was real. Someone was out to get Claire, and they could have killed her last night if they had wanted to. It would have been so easy for them. I was away from Claire, and it could have killed her. But they weren't ready yet. Whatever sick game Lilah was playing, I had a horrible feeling it was only just beginning. And I couldn't bear that.

I gripped Claire's hand in mine firmly and led her out of the house. I could never trust that Claire would be safe there again. The only place I could be sure Claire was safe was with me. So I wouldn't let go of her hand for anything. If anything happened to Claire I would kill myself. I would let vampires rip me to shreds or whatever extreme measures it took to kill myself. Because I would never be able to live with myself if she was harmed. It would be impossible.

"We should talk about this," Claire murmured as I pulled my truck down the driveway.

"There is nothing more to talk about," I said seriously, squeezing Claire's hand even tighter.

Calling the pack together in human form was a pain, but I couldn't phase to howl and call everyone together. I couldn't protect Claire if I had to run off into the woods for a pack meeting. An hour and a half later everyone was gathered at Jacob and Renesmee's house, the only private place big enough for a pack meeting. Annie and Nessie were there too, sitting in a corner and talking in hushed tones so low I could only make out half of their words.

"—unlike anything we've ever experienced," Annie murmured.

"—on his way to check it out," Renesmee replied.

Embry was there, but Lilly wasn't present, and I thought it was probably better that way. No reason to worry her over the details. I only wished Eliza and the other girls could have been blessed with obliviousness too. They didn't need to know that someone could be out to get them, particularly Claire. I suddenly detested myself for ever getting my once oblivious Claire into this world of darkness and danger. Maybe Anthony was right to hate me.

When we sat down to talk, I wanted to pull Claire on to my lap and hold her so I could maintain composure, but I knew that having her on my lap would be distracting, and this was not the appropriate situation to get turned on. So instead I settled for letting her squeeze my hand reassuringly was I relived the nightmare that was my morning and explained how we would have to be even more careful than we had been before. "Obviously, Claire is a—a target," it physically hurt for me to say such a thing out loud, "But we don't know why. If the vampire is just going after imprints, it would make more sense to stalk Renesmee."

Jacob snarled viciously, standing up with his fists balled at his sides. "What are you saying, Quil?" He asked angrily through his teeth.

"I'm not saying that I want vampires to go after Nessie, Jake. I was just stating the fact that if the vampire is trying to fuck with someone in the pack for revenge, it would be expected for her to go after the alpha and his mate. Or the beta and his. I'm not as highly ranked as you two, so why is she after me?"

"Maybe she isn't after you at all," Leah speculated, "Maybe she just _really _hates Claire, and it's a coincidence that she's your girlfriend."

"God damn it, this is serious, Leah!" I shouted at her. Leah rolled her eyes.

"She could have a point…" Danny thought aloud.

"No one hates Claire. It's impossible," I stated firmly. Everyone just shrugged, unable to argue.

"So what's our plan of action?" Seth asked, his eyes straying over to Jacob. I had the distinct feeling he would follow Jake through a minefield if it came down to it.

"We have to prioritize. Keep a close eye on Lilly and Nessie, in case all imprints are targets. Keep an extra close eye on Claire, because two vampire encounters is more than coincidence. Find this blue haired bitch, figure out what she wants with us, and then tear her to shreds and watch her burn." I could practically see the fire burning in Jacob's eyes as he spoke, as if he was already imagining the barbequed leech.

"Someone should watch Eliza, too," Claire spoke up for the first time, her eyes—along with many others—shifting over to Brady on the opposite side of the room.

"Why does everyone look at me every time someone mentions Eliza?" Brady asked uncomfortably.

"Well, isn't watching/stalking her kind of your specialty?" Grayson questioned with a sly grin.

"She doesn't like people trying to protect her," Brady reminded us, "She's stubborn to the point of foolishness."

"Which is exactly why you're the man for the job," Austin chuckled, "She already doesn't like you, so it's nothing new."

Brady looked about ready to pounce, but Collin put a hand out to stop him.

"So anyway, let's keep a wolf on Claire at all times. Quil, I'm assuming that would be you," Jacob surmised.

I nodded and Mason scoffed. "Because he's been doing _such _a good job at protecting her so far," he mumbled under his breath. I wanted to tell him to shut his fucking mouth, but he had a point. I was the worst protector in the history of imprinting.

"Embry, let's not tell Lilly about what went down. Someone get to Eliza and make sure she doesn't say anything to her, either. Quil, why don't you and Claire get out of town for the day? Seth, can you and Annie go scout out the vampires' old hideout and see if Lilah or anyone else has been down there recently? Anyone who doesn't have anything to do today, go to Claire's and get a good whiff of her room, we have some vampires to kill," Jacob instructed.

"What about me?" Nessie asked. Jacob stroked his wife's face gently, his eyes full of the softest, purest kind of love when he looked at her.

"Why don't you go to the main house until I get back. Carlisle and Esme would probably like to be filled in on the situation." _Translation: I don't want you to be left alone for a second so I'm going to set you up with babysitters without making you feel useless._

With that, we all went our separate ways. "Where are we going?" Claire asked uncertainly as we arrived back at my truck.

"You haven't eaten yet, let's go get something to eat in Port Angeles, shall we?"

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

We ended up at the same diner I had went with Joy on our unfortunate girls' day we had had over the summer, just days after Quil and I started dating. I looked over the menu silently, hearing the same words over and over in my head.

_"Two vampire encounters is more than coincidence."_

I trusted Quil, and knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me, but the thought that there was actually somewhere out there, _something_ out there that wanted to hurt me was enough to make my blood go cold. I could barely hold in the hysterics of it all that was already threatening to bubble over. I would really need to figure out Eliza's secret to burying her emotions, because two hours of acting like I wasn't scared out of my mind was already almost more than I could handle.

"What are you going to order?" I inquired softly, glancing up at Quil over my menu. He opened his mouth to reply, when suddenly his jaw tensed and he snarled through his teeth. His posture went rigid instantly and he grabbed my hands across the table. "Quil?" I whispered nervously.

"Don't panic," Quil warned softly. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. Quickly, I glanced around the diner. A girl with electric blue hair was sauntering over to us, and the way my blood froze in my veins as well as Quil's reaction alerted me of who she was despite the fact that I had never laid eyes on her in my entire life.

"I can't move," Quil cursed under his breath, "It's her power."

"Hello," the female who could _only_ Lilah greeted pleasantly, a wicked smile on her face. Her eyes were a terrifying shade of red, but most people were probably too fixated on her hair to notice. I was distracted by her pale hands, imagining how easily they could snap me in half if she wanted to. Quil growled deep in his throat as the vampire girl slid into the booth beside me, effectively trapping me against the wall. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, I couldn't move. Fear had an iron hold on my body. This was the girl who had hung a dead body outside my window like a ragdoll, the girl who was supposed to kill us "wolf girls" the day of the big fight, the girl who had sent someone into my room to watch me while I slept. And she was sitting right beside me in a booth at a random diner in Port Angeles like we were old friends catching up over lunch.

"Want do you want from us?" Quil demanded in a low, menacing voice.

"Now, now, Quil," Lilah chided, "Let's not cause a scene in such a public place."

"How the hell do you know my name?" He looked about ready to fling himself over the table and murder her, but when he tried to move, he couldn't. Lilah laughed.

"Well, you know mine, don't you? It's only fair…" She shrugged.

"Release me, now," he commanded. Lilah rolled her eyes and Quil was suddenly able to move again.

"Mortals are so weak," she mused, looking me over slowly.

"Leave Claire alone or I swear to God I'll—"

Lilah laughed, cutting him off mid-threat. "Or you'll what? Kill me? Don't be like that, Quil. I'm just here for the same thing as everyone else," the evil smile returned to her face, "Lunch."

Quil grabbed her by the collar of her shirt across the table, truly ready to rip her head off. A few people in the restaurant turned to stare. "Quil, she can't do anything either. Not here, not in public. It goes both ways," I murmured, unable to speak properly.

Lilah looked offended, "Oh, I'm not here to hurt anyone! Who do you think I am? I was just thinking we could have a nice chat," she abruptly turned to face me, "By the way, I'm Lilah. I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting before." She held out a hand, as if she actually expected me to take it, and just shrugged when I stared at her translucent skin and made no attempt at a greeting.

"What is wrong with you? You're sick," Quil spat hatefully.

Lilah laughed coldly, "You know, the others used to ask me the same thing. But they're dead. What's wrong with _me? _I'm not a mindless insufferable idiot. Who knew that was such a crime these days?"

"We killed them, don't be so stupid as to believe we can't do the same to you."

"I _seriously_ doubt that," Lilah answered cockily.

The waitress walked up nervously, clearly just as discomforted by the blue-haired, pale-skinned, red-eyed vampire as the rest of the people in the restaurant. "C—can I get you anything to drink?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Coke," I muttered, unable to meet her eyes.

"Water," Quil replied stiffly.

"I won't be staying," Lilah informed the waitress girl, who said nothing and hurried away toward the kitchen.

"Why are you here?" Quil inquired.

"I could tell you, but don't we already all know the answer? There is nowhere you two can go where I can't find you, Quil Ateara. You can't protect your girlfriend forever." Lilah ran her icy fingers across my cheek and I shivered violently.

"You are going to leave Claire out of this!" Quil snarled, grabbing the vampire's granite wrist tightly in his hand.

"Am I? That's interesting, considering she's the whole reason I'm here."

All of the blood drained from my face. This was not happening. I was having another nightmare. Lilah didn't really plan to kill me. No.

"She has nothing you want! She's just a girl. Leave. Her. Alone."

Without thinking, I ducked under the table and popped out on the other side of the booth, so I was sitting on the same side as Quil. He wrapped me up in his arms and kissed my head, not tearing his eyes away from the blue-haired bloodsucker.

"Ouch, Claire. That hurt," Lilah said drily. "Here I thought we were becoming such great friends."

"Burn in hell," I whispered with all the strength I could muster.

"I'd love to Claire, but actually, I have somewhere to be," she stood, "Great chatting with you two. Such an adorable couple. I hate to think that the next time we meet will be on less pleasant terms," she frowned with false sadness and then left.

I let out a ragged breath but said nothing. Quil didn't either. Lilah was playing a game all right, but there were no rules, and we didn't know what kind of mystery cards she still had up her sleeve.

It was the most helpless I had ever felt in my life.

* * *

><p><em>Mason<em>

Claire having a close encounter with _another _vampire was unsettling enough as it is, Quil asking for my help… that was just fucking weird.

The gray sky was just starting to turn black when he arrived at the house, a very pale looking Claire in tow. "Can we talk?" He asked seriously. I stiffened. 'Talks' with Quil ended with me having a black eye or a busted up nose more often than not.

"What are you doing?" Claire whispered to Quil, sounding as confused as I felt.

"It depends," I shrugged, not waiting for him to answer Claire's question, "Are you going to be an ass?"

"Mason, this is important," Quil said impatiently. "Claire and I were eating lunch and—"

"Your lunch date is important?" I sneered. "You know, usually you wait for Claire to leave before you rub it in my face," I said the last sentence under my breath so Claire wouldn't hear. There were some things I didn't need for her to hear, like how much her relationship with Quil really bothered me.

"Lilah showed up," Quil said ruefully.

"She _what_?" If I was sitting, I would have fallen out of my chair.

"If we had any little doubt about Lilah's intentions, they're crystal clear now. And I need to know that Claire is safe at all times… at all hours of the day… every day… including during school." Quil was scowling so deeply I imagined the frown lines becoming permanently etched into his skin. After a second, what he was saying really hit me, and I grinned.

"So what you're saying is… you need me to keep an eye on Claire during the school day."

"As much as I hate to say it, yes. That is exactly what I need."

"How the tables have turned," I mused. "This must be pretty serious—if you're actually trusting me with 'your Claire,'" I couldn't resist mocking him.

"I still hate your guts, but I know not to underestimate Lilah anymore. Austin and Grayson have volunteered to take turns sitting in the forest closest to the trees during school hours, but that's not enough. I need to know that you're there on the inside. Can I trust you with something as simple as that?" He asked, clearly uncomfortable.

Of course he could fucking trust me. I had no intentions of letting Claire out of my sight for a minute. I wasn't going to let Quil's incompetence put Claire in harm's way. "I guess I can do that, but just remember that I'm doing this for Claire, not you, and I still mutually hate _your _guts."

"Don't let anything happen to my girlfriend," Quil ordered. He held out a hand, and I scrunched my nose at it.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I replied, shaking on it.

"Come together! Riiiiight noooooooow! Over Claire!" Came Embry's tone-deaf wail from inside the house. He _would _be eavesdropping.

"So, asking me to protect Claire must have been a pretty low blow to your pride, huh?" I smirked.

"Desperate times, Fox Boy… Desperate times."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow guys, getting pretty intense, huh? Part II is slowly drawing to a close. I have a planned 10 chapters left. Expect another update sometime on Thursday. Also, when you review (Which I KNOW you will, hehehe) let me know if you've seen BDpt.2 yet and what you thought. Also, if you have any theories for the rest of the story, mention it in your reviews! Love you all! If you still haven't go like my page "Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two" on Facebook. I post teasers and share when I'm planning to update!**


	49. A Lack of Thanks

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving my fellow Americans! Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fantastic readers! I love you sososo much. Thankful to have all of you reading my story! Not much to say here, except to brace yourselves for quite a tense chapter. I'm evil, I know. LOVE YOU!**

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

"Bye Claire, bye Mason, see you next week!" Kallia called before hopping into the front seat of Brewer's car. We waved at her and Brewer as they pulled out of the student parking lot and then got in to the Mustang. It was late November, and Thanksgiving Break had officially arrived. Five days without school. Five days of Quil time. Things like that _used _to excite me. Now home was a place even more nightmarish than school, and time with Quil was also time with Mason, and that was smother Claire time. I was so protected I could barely breathe without them noticing.

"Do you know how emasculating it is having a girl drive me home from school every day in her cute little Mustang?" Mason complained. "Someone like me needs to ride a motorcycle or something."

I gave a lighthearted laugh and shook my head at him, "I'm sorry that my well-being is tarnishing your bad boy reputation. Would it make you feel better if you walked your whiny ass home?"

"Ouch, Claire. My ego," he smacked a hand over his heart like he'd just been stabbed.

"Oh, shut up," I shoved him lightly on the arm.

There was no longer any point in dropping Mason off at Quil and Embry's. He came home with me every day. He breathed down my neck every day. And when Quil would finally show up after work around five o'clock, Mason would fight to be able to stay, _every day._ I knew Quil hated him there, but what was he going to do, say 'No, Mason, you can't protect my girlfriend?' And even if he did, my father would never have let Quil kick Mason out anyway. Forget my life threatening situation, Dad was _thrilled _to see Mason at the house every day.

Too much was the same. My life had morphed into an extremely mundane routine of no privacy and a lingering current of fear in the air. As much as I wanted to hate the situation, it may have been the only thing keeping me alive.

_My life is insane,_ I thought agitatedly upon pulling up to the house.

"Home sweet home," Mason teased, swinging open the passenger door.

When we arrived at the house, Eliza was already there (her school had an early release day). She stood just inside the doorway, talking to none other than Brady, who was just _outside _of the doorway. "Just go out with me, Liza!" He pleaded, probably for the fiftieth time in the last ten minutes if today was anything like yesterday.

"No. Go away," my sister replied, frustrated.

"Come on. You can't still be mad about everything, can you?"

"Do I need to _list_ all the things I have to be mad about?" Eliza inclined an eyebrow.

"Only if I get to list all the things you do that piss me off that I let go."

"If I piss you off so badly then maybe you should get lost," Eliza suggested nastily.

"Then maybe you should just slam the door in my face. I bet you can't. You don't want to say goodbye cause _you _like me."

"Oh, I can't? Watch me!" Eliza began to swing the door shut when Mason stepped in between the door and the frame.

"Whoa there, Killer, can we come inside before your little lovers' spat ends with me losing a finger or something?" Mason asked.

"We are not lovers!" Eliza growled, forgetting about the door and turning to storm up the stairs, "Claire, don't you _dare_ let Brady in the house. Ever."

"She totally wants me," Brady chuckled, turning and racing off.

I had to admit… Brady was actually making progress. Very slow, _pathetically_ slow, progress. Maybe. Sort of. It was impossible to tell with my sister.

Mason and I got a snack and then went up to my room. After weeks of this babysitting crap, I had finally found something that I could stand to do. Read. Mason got bored when I read to myself, so I had taken to reading books aloud to him. He thought this was slightly better.

"So, just to clarify, Katherine volunteers to save her little blonde sister who _isn't _evil?" He scratched his head.

"Her name is _Katniss,_" I reminded him, "And believe it or not, all little blonde sisters aren't evil. Prim is more like… Lilly."

"So does Gale creep on Prim in the books like Embry does?"

I shot him a glare him and smacked his arm again. Around that time, a very tired looking Quil arrived. "Hey baby, what's up?" I asked, getting up from my chair and dancing over to give him a kiss on the lips. Mason, who was sprawled across my bed in a way I'm sure Quil was _not_ fond of, remained where he was, picking his fingernails.

"Great news," he said in a voice that implied just the opposite, "My mother is having Thanksgiving dinner here. With us, Sam, Emily, and Amelia, and your father, and Embry, and Eliza, and my grandpa, and Mason."

My stomach dropped, but I tried to smile. "That's… great."

"Yeah, greatly awkward," Mason chuckled, rolling over on the bed.

"You can leave now, Fox Boy," Quil growled.

"You can go fuck yourself now, Chester," Mason retorted.

"Okay, if you two are going to insist on being here constantly, either resolve your little hard feelings or please, _please, _stop talking," I begged, already feeling yesterday's migraine creep back up on me.

"Sorry," they mumbled in unison before shutting up. Apparently, a truce was _not_ on the horizon.

* * *

><p><em>Lilly<em>

"You were outside my room again last night," I accused Embry on Tuesday afternoon when he came over. "Why?"

"Just making sure you were okay," he replied casually, though something about him seemed off.

"For the sixth time in two weeks? Isn't that a little overkill?"

"I just don't want anything to happen to you, Lilly. Is that so horrible?"

"No, of course not. But the problem is, you're lying to me. Something is going on and you aren't telling me about it. I have a feeling a lot of somethings are going on and everyone but me knows what they are."

Everyone had been acting strange lately. Eliza had become a mute every time I tried to talk to her and the pack was weirder than usual. There was definitely some heavy tension in the air. And don't even get me started on Embry. He switched between being a crazy watch dog who followed me everywhere and steering clear of me like I caught the plague. And every time I asked what was up, he shrugged me off.

"I'm not lying to you, Lilly. Everything is perfectly fine. Just like always."

I couldn't stand this. Here Embry was, my supposed best friend in the world, and also the guy I was pretty sure I was in love with, lying to my face. "Whatever Embry. I don't really feel like hanging out today. You should just go."

Embry looked like he wanted to argue, but just sighed instead. "Fine, I'll see you later," he mumbled, giving me a friendly hug. I _despised_ friendly hugs. Once Embry left, I started to throw things. Books, pillows, clothes, anything in my room within reaching distance. This was all so ridiculous. Embry could never reciprocate my feelings. He couldn't even be honest with me, so how could he ever love me? I was foolish and immature for ever thinking that I stood a chance with him. Why would Embry want a plain, pale, fourteen year old girl anyways? I scooped up something cool and shiny, prepared to throw it, when I realized what it was. My cell phone.

I plopped on to my bed dejectedly as the rage subsided. The black screen reflected my face, and I shuddered. I looked… defeated.

But I wasn't defeated. This wasn't the end of the world, right? I was just a teenage girl, I could be sad today and then move on. Isn't that what girls did? It's not like there weren't other fish in the sea.

Embry didn't want me, but there was someone else who did. Someone who deserved a fair chance. Forcing back my anger at Embry, I scrolled through my contacts until I found the name I was after and pressed call.

The answer came after just two rings. "Hello?"

"Hey Travis, it's Lilly. I was thinking about what you told me last month, and I was wondering if maybe you'd still be interested in going out on a date sometime. Like tomorrow."

"That would be awesome! Let's do it!" I stayed on the phone for a minute, making arrangements for our newly scheduled date, and then hung up. There, I moved on. I didn't need Embry to love me back. _I can be happy with someone else._

Then, unexpectedly, I began to cry. It felt like someone had taken a razor blade to my heart and showed no mercy. _No, _I realized, _No I can't. _

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

Fucking kill me. It's not that I hated my mother… I just, well… like I said, _no one _can hate Claire. But she did. And I was ninety-nine percent sure my mom would throw Claire into a volcano if she got the chance. Toss my mother in the mix with Anthony, who would not only be happy to throw _me _into a volcano, but would also post a video of it on Youtube. It was a sure recipe for disaster.

Oh, and how could I forget Mason? Three people on Team Quil and Claire need to break up in the same room at the same time? I didn't stand a chance.

Thanksgiving? What the fuck did I have to be thankful for today? The vampire trying to kill my imprint? The werewolf kid trying to move in on said imprint? Our parents who both despised our relationship? Yeah, okay, happy fucking Thanksgiving, please excuse my lack of thanks.

But at least Embry would be there, and my gramps, and the Uley family. People couldn't kill each other with them supervising, right? Well, I could maybe convince them to turn a blind eye if I needed to remove Mason's head but—

_Stop Quil, _I chided myself, _Hate Mason after Claire is safe again. You can't kill him yet._

My mother arrived at home Thursday at four o'clock all dressed up with my gramps. "Hi Quil, hello Embry," my mother greeted, pulling me into a hug. Then she took notice of Mason. "Oh yes, hey to you too, Mason!" She greeted. I rolled my eyes. My mom was supposed to support me, _not_ Mason!

"Hey gramps," I nodded in acknowledgment. He smiled warmly at me and said nothing. Life would be so much damn simpler if everyone was just like my grandfather.

"Let's go, people, we have an entire night of family bonding and fun planned!" Embry chirped with equal sarcasm and enthusiasm. I felt kind of bad for him. His mom was basically a stranger to him, so on a family holiday he was roped in with the dysfunctional Ateara crew. Poor guy. What did he ever do to deserve that?

When we arrived at Claire's house, I was hopeful that she would be the one to answer the door, so I could sweep her into my arms and kiss her beautiful lips. And most importantly, so I could assure her that she was my whole world and I would always protect her. Unfortunately though, I wasn't so lucky. The second I knocked on the door we were assaulted by Eliza shouting "Go away, Brady!"

"Not Brady," Mason sang. A second later the door swung open. Eliza stood there, looking exasperated, but still very pulled together at the same time. Her hair was pulled back in a straight, neat ponytail and her attire was crisp and black.

"Come in," she sighed. "But expect revenge if he's hiding in the bushes."

"Noted," Embry grinned, slipping into the house along with the rest of us.

Sam, Emily, and Amelia were already there, chatting with Claire and Anthony in the living room. The second I saw Claire and was assured once again that she was okay, a massive weight was lifted off of my chest. I hadn't even been away from her twenty minutes, and Grayson was outside watching her from the woods, but leaving Claire alone these days never failed to make me sick to my stomach. She smiled sideways at me when she noticed my entrance and continued to converse with Emily. I made my way over to them.

"Hey Em," I greeted, standing behind Claire and wrapping my arms around her. Claire looked up at me and giggled as I leaned down to kiss the crown of her head. She was so beautiful, so full of life… no one was going to change that on my watch.

"How's it going Quil?" Emily replied, her voice full of warmth.

"Wait! I thought I was Em," Embry whined, stepping between us.

"No, you're obnoxious," I informed him. He stuck his tongue out at me. "And childish, too."

A few feet away, I heard my gramps and mother introducing themselves to Anthony. _Here we go._

"Hi," I'm Joy Ateara, Quil's mother, thank you for having us."

"Anthony Young, Claire and Eliza's father, thank you for coming," Anthony replied. They shook hands. It reminded me of a nightmare I'd had once.

"Quil! Why didn't you say hi to me? Are we not friends anymore?" Amelia pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head back to glower up at me.

I released Claire from my arms to scoop up Amelia, "Of course we're still friends, Melia. You know you're my favorite girl."

"Hear that Claire?" Amelia bragged, "Quil loves me more than you!"

"Trying to steal my boyfriend, Melia?" Claire asked with faux jealousy. Amelia giggled and I set her back on the ground.

"I just have to cut the turkey and then we'll all sit down," Anthony announced before disappearing into the kitchen. Sam followed after him to go help. With Anthony gone, Mom and Gramps approached our small group. Mason and Eliza stood awkwardly separated, doing their own things.

"Hi Claire, you look nice tonight," Mom said stiffly, forcing on a smile. Whether or not she actually did think Claire looked nice, it was true. She was wearing one of those sexy high-to-low skirts with a lacy maroon top. Maroon was basically red, and Claire in red was fucking heavenly. I swear she did it on purpose because she wanted me to struggle not to get turned on in front of her father. _The vixen._

"Thank you, Joy," Claire replied awkwardly, scooting closer to me. I pulled her against my side and let my arm stay curled around her waist.

"What about me, Joy?" Embry joked, "Do I look nice, too?" Mom simply frowned at him and changed topics.

"Should we maybe go sit down?"

"Yes! I'm S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G!" Amelia exclaimed, racing toward the dining room.

"Excuse her, she loves Thanksgiving… and spelling," Emily explained, a motherly smile on her face. She was so genuinely sweet and caring it made me want to punch something. Why couldn't _my_ mother be like that? Or Anthony?

Anthony and Sam showed up a minute later carrying the food. "Don't worry. Emily did most of the cooking," Anthony assured us as he and Sam set the dishes down.

"Yes!" Embry whooped. It was no secret that Emily was Native American Martha Stewart.

We all sat around the table, dragging in a chair from the kitchen for Amelia, and began to put food on our plates.

"Whoa, Emily," Embry said, "You have enough food on that plate to feed an army." It was true, her plate was practically overflowing.

Emily smiled and looked at Sam. He smiled back and they clasped hands. "Well, actually, Sam and I have an announcement to make… I'm eating for two."

Claire jumped up, "You're pregnant?" She exclaimed.

"Five weeks," Sam beamed. Amelia, who apparently had no idea up until that point, began to dance around the room, singing a song about being a big sister. Congratulations were thrown around the room.

"Well we're never going to have a shortage of wolves," I commented. "Tanner, Will, Mark, the new baby if it's a boy. And who knows, if Mia and Leah aren't freak accidents, maybe Cora and Lola and Melia too."

"I'm gonna get wolf germs?" Amelia squeaked.

"Only if you don't wash your hands often," Embry teased. Amelia gasped and ran off to the bathroom.

After everyone filled their plates to the max, the awkward conversation commenced. "So Mason, has La Push grown on you any more since you moved?" Mother asked sweetly. Why the fuck did she care about how Mason was doing?

"Less and less every day," Mason replied drily.

"Obviously. If _I_ used to live in Cali, I would never want to move to La Push either," Eliza shared, "It's dreary and almost everyone who lives here is infuriating."

"I didn't realize Brady changed his name to 'Almost Everyone' Liza," I joked. She narrowed her eyes at me from across the table.

Anthony made a _hmph_ sound."If that boy knocks on the door one more time I'll—"

"Shoot him?" Embry offered. Anthony shrugged.

"Aw, come on guys. Brady isn't so bad," Claire defended, taking a scoop of potatoes.

"Yeah!" Amelia added, returning with freshly washed hands. "Liza, remember that time he came over and you made me go to my room!"

"Quiet, Melia," Eliza warned.

"It could be worse, Liza," Embry reminded her, "You _could _be like Claire and be in the middle of a civil war."

Why did he have to bring _that_ up? "Excuse me! What have I said about talking about me like I'm not right here?" Claire whined.

"Civil war?" Gramps scratched his head.

Eliza, relieved that the conversation had been switched away from her, leaned in enthusiastically and did what Eliza does best. Open her big mouth and gossip. "Quil and Mason. They're like… arch enemies but they have to work together to protect Claire. And it's super tense because you can tell they want to kill each other but they can't because they're both so eager to please Claire."

"Liza!" Claire slammed her fist on the table. For a half of a second, mine and Mason's eyes met across the table. Eliza wasn't lying. I _would _love to kill Mason, or kick him around a bit at least.

"You're very observant, Eliza," Mom commented, looking at me quizzically. I pretended that I didn't notice.

"It's obvious," Eliza shrugged.

"Just like it's _obvious_ that you like Brady," Claire snapped back.

"Shut up, Claire!"

"That's enough, both of you," Emily reprimanded. It didn't matter if they no longer lived under her roof, Emily was still their mother for all intents and purposes, and both girls listened to her.

"So anyway," Sam spoke up, turning to me, "Quil, is there any news on…" he trailed off, leaving me to finish the sentence in my mind. I understood why—Amelia had no idea about the threat on Claire's life, and it was better that way.

"No," I answered ruefully, "She's gone quiet again. I guess that's technically a good thing but…" _But if I can't find her, I can't kill her. And I need to kill her. _

"Who's gone quiet?" My mother inquired, glancing up from her plate curiously.

No one answered her at first. "Eliza," Emily said after a second, "Why don't you go show Amelia your room? She hasn't been up there before." Eliza nodded, whisking Amelia up the stairs and out of earshot. Once they were gone, I explained the situation with Lilah and Claire in as few words as possible. Claire didn't add anything, but was squeezing my fingers so tightly that if I were a human it would seriously hurt. I wanted more than anything at that point to just whisk her away from there and get so far away that all of her fears vanished. I wanted to wrap Claire up in my embrace and kiss her until her fear melted away like the February snow. But I couldn't. And I hated it.

"So once again you're going to do something stupidly heroic in the name of love," Mom said, more to herself than anyone else. "Of course."

"Mom, it's not stupid. I love Claire, I'm going to protect her with my life," I was speaking through my teeth, a sure sign I could lose it at any minute.

"Yes, you love Claire, I get it. But what if something happened to you and you died? Why would you risk something like that?" She interrogated.

My hands balled into fists, "Didn't I just make this crystal clear to you, Mom? I. Love. Claire. More than anything. And if it came down to it I would die for her. No question."

"And you're okay with that, Claire? You don't care that my son could be throwing his life away to protect you?"

A panicked look found its way onto Claire's face. "No, no of course not. I never—"

"Then why put him in this situation?"

Claire tried to speak, but wasn't able to form any real sentences. I saw the tears pooling in her eyes.

"Well?" Mom pressed.

"Joy, my daughter is not the one at fault here. At all. It's because of her association with _your_ son that she is even in this situation. If either of them had to die it better be Quil. Claire is innocent in all of this."

"Neither of us is going to die, we've got this under control, okay?" I growled.

I was ignored, _of course. _"Claire is a trouble magnet. It's a fact." My mother stated.

Claire stood up abruptly from the table, tears threatening to spill over. "I—uh—have to go to the bathroom," she muttered, turning and racing up the stairs.

"Now look what you've done, Mom! Just once can you _not _ruin everything?" I rebuked.

"I'll go check on her," Emily declared softly, excusing herself from the table.

"Poison—that's what this relationship between the two of you is! Poison!" My mother scoffed.

"At least we agree on something," Anthony mumbled.

"Imprinting sucks," Mason decided.

"Agreed," Mom and Anthony said in almost perfect unity.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a minute." It wasn't a question. She made Claire cry. That was inexcusable. Claire had enough reasons to be upset without my mom tearing her to pieces right in front of her.

"I'm going to get seconds," Embry decided aloud as I got up from the table. My mother right behind me, I made my way to Anthony's office and shut the door behind us.

"What the hell is your problem, Mom?" I whisper-yelled, surprised by the violent urges swelling inside of me.

"Excuse me for caring about your safety!" She replied irritably.

"That is not what this is about and you know it, Mom. I put my life in danger on a daily basis. This is because you hate Claire!" The words left a fowl taste in my mouth, but that didn't change the fact that it was true. Apparently it _was _possible to hate the world's most amazing creature.

"God damn it, Quil, I don't hate your little imprint girlfriend. Claire is a fine girl. But love—love is a joke, Son. Don't you ever do something stupid in the name of love."

I stared at her for a solid minute. "What the hell are you talking about, Mom? Love is the strongest thing in the world. You should know, you loved Dad."

"Well maybe he didn't love me!" Mom blurted out.

"What?"

"Love means _nothing,_ Quil. Someone may say they're in love with you, but Claire doesn't even understand what love means. She's sixteen for Christ's sake! Your father was a grown ass man and he didn't even understand the meaning of the word."

"What in the name of God do you mean?" I demanded.

Mom bit her lip, watching her hands as they timidly twisted together. "When he was married to me, when I was pregnant with you… he had an affair. I had no idea about it for a long time, until after he was dead. At the funeral, the woman felt guilty, and confessed everything. While I was pregnant with you, she was _also_ pregnant by your father."

And just like that, my world went spinning. "You mean… Dad cheated? He had a kid with someone else, too?" That couldn't be real. No way. My dad had loved my mom like the moon loved the stars. Hadn't he?

"Once you were older… I planned to tell you. But then the two of you became friends… and I knew I never could. It would ruin your friendship. I couldn't do that. You were the one thing I still loved."

"Wait, I became friends with the woman Dad cheated on you with?" I asked incredulously.

Mom shook her head. "No, with her child. Your half-sibling," she muttered.

My mouth went dry. "Who was the woman, Mom?" I asked softly, knowing the answer already in the pit of my stomach, but needing to hear it at the same time. Needing to confirm it.

"Tiffany Call," she sighed, "Embry's mother."

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

For whatever reason, Claire ran upstairs crying. For an even stranger reason, I envied her. The way she could bear all of her emotions and not care who saw… it was braver than I could ever know how to be. But at the same time, I could tell Claire was seriously hurting, so I didn't allow myself to get _too_ jealous.

Amelia and I went back downstairs to find everyone missing. Embry was gone, Quil and Joy were gone, Claire was gone, and so was Emily. Mason, Dad, and Sam sat awkwardly at the table. "Where'd everyone go?" I asked.

"Emily is upstairs with Claire, Quil and his mother are having a little chat, and Embry suddenly got up and stormed out. Not sure why," Sam explained. By the way Mason was staring intently at his plate, I had a feeling he knew the reason and just wasn't saying anything.

"Okay, well, I'm feeling pretty full so—"

There was a knock at the door.

"That's probably Embry," Dad surmised.

I knew better. "Probably. Maybe I should go check on him," I lied smoothly, going to the door, opening it, and slipping out before promptly shutting it behind me. My suspicions were right, of course.

There was Brady, back right on schedule, with that same hopeful grin on his face. "So you actually came outside this time, huh?" He asked self-importantly.

"Just to tell you to get lost and warn you that my dad said if you came by here again he'd shoot you," I informed him malevolently. Or at least, I hoped that's how I sounded. If Brady suspected for one second that I maybe sort of possibly hadn't been able to stop thinking about our kiss from a few weeks ago, he'd _never _let me take it back. If he knew that I was still having crazy reoccurring dreams of him and I engaging in intense make out sessions… Maybe I liked him, maybe I didn't, either way I could never date him, so why give him any false hope?

"Awe, how sweet of you to care. Maybe I ought to start calling you Angel," Brady's lady-killer grin was _definitely_ on full power tonight—_not _like it made a difference to me, or anything. God, I hoped I wasn't blushing! That would definitely be bad.

"Maybe you ought to go away, you know, forever?" I suggested.

"Oh come on, Angel! Give me a chance. Just one date!"

"No," I responded immediately, not letting my voice waver in the slightest. He didn't need to know how much I wanted to just say yes.

"Yes," Brady argued, backing me up into the front door and placing his hands on the door on either side of my head. I was trapped.

"Move," I ordered.

"Are you really in a position to tell me what to do?" He asked, inclining an eyebrow. I glanced at his arms, trying to find the best way to slip away. There wasn't one. But if it counted for anything… his arms were damn muscular. And it was pretty hot. Fuck, _he _was so hot.

_Why do I keep thinking these things?!_

There was _no way _Brady's annoyingly persistent charm was getting to me. None.

"Please move," I tried again, batting my eyelashes.

"Oh no you don't. I don't care how adorable that is, I'm not letting you go until you agree to go out with me," Brady warned.

Did I want to give in? Um, duh! That's like asking Donald Trump if he likes money. But I would never deserve Brady, so it was wrong to want him. Which I didn't! I certainly didn't want him! That would just be crazy.

_Oh, what's the use, Liza? Admit it, you're attracted to him, _that little voice in my head informed me.

_Never! _I protested.

But then the little voice in my head founds its way to my mouth, and before I could stop myself it said: "Fine! If I agree to go out with you just this once, then afterwards you have to promise to leave me alone forever. No more stalking me, or kissing me, or begging me to go out with you. You just let me be."

"Presuming you don't fall madly in love with me," Brady smiled mischievously.

"Trust me, I won't," I reassured him flatly, meeting his eyes.

"Deal. One date, all day, I plan everything. If you still hate my guts at the end of the night, fine. I'll leave you alone, if not—"

"Trust me, I'll still hate you."

"Uh huh. We'll see," Brady didn't sound at all convinced. "Pick you up Saturday at eleven thirty." Before I could stop him, he leaned in and captured my lips. He didn't have to go very far, since we were already so close together. I had long since given up on trying to shove him off of me when he did this, because it was a useless effort. Luckily, the kiss was brief. Only a few seconds after it started, he pulled away. "See you, Angel!" He chuckled, turning and speeding victoriously into the night.

"Stop doing that!" I yelled after him, but it was too late. He was already gone.

And I was utterly fucked.

* * *

><p><strong>Everyone who leaves a review will get a teaser of the next chapter, and I promise it's gonna be a goodie. I don't know when it will be up, but I'm super excited to write it!<strong>


	50. Selfish

**A/N: Gaby… you're going to kill me. This chapter is huge. And I cut it short. Everyone else who enjoys long chapters, GOOD NEWS! Full A/N at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

"Get dressed, Liza! Your _date _is going to be here soon," Claire taunted, poking her head in my room. It was Saturday morning and I was standing in the middle of my room still wearing my cotton pajama shorts and a camisole. I stared blankly at a wide assortment of clothes I had sprawled out on my bed.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked with potent annoyance.

"Not as much as you!" My sister joked, wiggling her eyebrow suggestively. She hadn't stopped laughing at me ever since I had been forced to tell her and Dad why I would be gone all day Saturday.

"Oh, go to your room and make out with Quil or something!" I grumbled, putting my hands on her back and forcefully shoving her towards the door.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "But in case you were wondering, I'd go with the layered lace and cotton emerald colored top!" Claire called as I pushed her out and closed the door.

I wasn't _actually_ stressed about what to wear, obviously. I didn't need to impress Brady. Just because we were going on a date didn't mean I needed to be cute for him. The only reason I was feeling conflicted about what to wear was because I had _no_ idea where we were going. I did end up deciding on the green top though, making the excuse that I only selected it because it was comfortable and would probably suit anything that Brady had planned. My mouth went dry. This was actually happening. I was going to go on a date with Brady. I checked the clock on my dresser briefly, and felt suddenly ill. He would be at my house in eight minutes and I still was barely dressed! I pulled the top over my head, choosing a pair of dark skinny jeans to tuck into my black riding boots. Would we be outside? I grabbed a coat just in case.

Turning to examine myself in the mirror, I applied some chap stick rather than lip gloss. I had no reason for lip gloss. My lips didn't need to be cute, either. My hair was down today, and I had straightened it so carefully that not a strand of curl was left. It had taken me almost an hour to transform my wild locks into this pin-straight style, but it was well worth it. If my hair showed even the slightest sign of curling Brady would probably take that as a sign that I was trying to look good for him. That was unacceptable.

There was a knock at the door downstairs and a swell of panic flooded my system. What if I couldn't do this? What if I accidently let my insecurities slip to Brady? It was bad enough that he already knew how much a stupid boy had affected me, I could only imagine how foolish I would seem if I told him the real reason I would never date him.

I let out a deep calming breath as I left my bedroom. As I shut the door behind me, the front door downstairs opened. "So _you're_ the stalker?" My father interrogated. _Uh oh, _I had been counting on Claire answering the door, teasing me, and then Brady and I leaving. I had never accounted for my father answering the door.

"Brady, actually," Brady corrected politely, "Not a stalker."

My dad made a _hmph _sound. "Eliza, your stalker is here!" He called.

"On my way down," I replied, starting down the staircase. I held on to the rail the whole way down, forcing my hands to not shake.

"Hey, Liza. Wow, you look great," Brady grinned. I bit back a smile.

"Shut up," I told him, hoping my face wasn't as red as I thought it was. I allowed myself a brief second to check him out and nearly tripped down the stairs. If I looked great, he looked like a Greek god. It wasn't even fair. The way his hair curled around his ears was so unusual for a Native and it made him even more attractive in my eyes. I had always been envious of Claire's glowing tanned skin, and Brady's was even more appealing.

_Stop it!_ I forced myself to stop drooling over him. It was going to be a long enough day as it was without me daydreaming about him.

"I'll have her back by eleven, Sir," Brady promised my father.

"You'll have her back by ten thirty or your face will go up on wanted posters across the northwest," Dad threatened, narrowing his eyes at Brady.

"Of course," Brady nodded.

"Dad," I whisper-hissed, embarrassed. "It's not like he's kidnapping me."

"Isn't he, though?" my father frowned, turning and retreating down the hall.

"Ready to go?" Brady asked, perking up immediately.

"Do I have a choice?" I groaned.

"Not really," Brady chuckled, taking my hand and leading me out of the door.

"You crazy kids have fun!" Claire hollered from upstairs before Brady pulled the door shut behind us.

"Well, your dad is… friendly," Brady commented as he led me to his truck.

"He doesn't like you," I informed him.

"Like father like daughter, huh?" Brady chuckled again, squeezing my hand lightly. I thought about yanking it away from him, but decided against it. His hand was so warm.

"So now are you going to tell me where we're going?" I noticed he was wearing a jacket too, which was odd for him. He only ever wore jackets for show, because walking around in tee shirts in forty five degree weather looked pretty strange to most civilians.

"Nope, but it's kind of a long drive."

"You know, Brady, I hate surprises," I informed him as he opened my door for me and then reluctantly released my hand to go get in on the driver's side.

"This is a good surprise, I promise," Brady reassured me.

"A good surprise that involves me being out for eleven hours?" I asked skeptically.

"What we're doing doesn't take eleven hours, that's just me being greedy and taking advantage of the situation. If this is the only time as long as I live that I can convince you to go out with me, I'm not wasting it."

"Of course it is," I sighed. This day was going to be even harder than I thought.

…

Almost a full hour later Brady's truck pulled up to the parking lot of the Port Angeles Boardwalk and Amusement Park. It was totally cliché, but adorable at the same time. I had never been to the Boardwalk, but something about it seemed exciting. I'd always dreamed about someone taking me on a date somewhere fun like here, but I had certainly never imagined it would be Brady Fuller.

"So, good surprise or bad surprise?" Brady asked eagerly as he parked.

"Good one," I smiled before I was able to help myself. Brady gave a triumphant smile and hopped out of the truck. Before I could open my own door, he was there, doing it for me.

"Is that really necessary?" I asked as he helped me down.

"Of course. Any guy you've dated who hasn't opened doors for you is obviously an idiot," Brady informed me.

"We're not dating, you know," I reminded him gently.

"Whatever you say, Angel. Just remember that for today, you're all mine," Brady whispered in my ear, wrapping a jacketed arm around me. I fought the immediate reaction to sigh and curl in closer to him. Something was _seriously_ wrong with me.

"Oh dear, maybe my dad _should _make some wanted posters," I thought aloud.

"You're fine, Angel. I swear I won't kidnap you… probably."

"Reassuring," I muttered drily.

"It's your fault. Did I not tell you green was my favorite color?" He asked, nodding his head at my shirt.

_Oh shit, how had I forgotten? _It was like no matter how much I told myself I didn't care. My subconscious wanted to look good for him. Or Claire planted this idea in my head on purpose. Damn it.

"Control yourself," I warned as we got in the line to buy ride passes.

"Yeah, fat chance," Brady said, pulling me closer.

"You're awfully possessive," I informed him.

"Well maybe I just don't want other guys to think it's okay to talk to you," he whispered in my ear again, causing me to shudder noticeably.

"Cold?" Brady asked with mild concern. By the way he was smirking though, I was certain he knew what had really made me shiver. Something about him whispering possessive things in my ear was really, _really_ hot, no matter how much I hated to admit it.

"I'm fine," I replied in a voice too breathy to be normal. What the hell was going on? Brady being possessive should have pissed me off. I should be yelling at him about how I wasn't his property and I was free to talk to whoever I wanted. I should have pushed him away by now, demanding he keep his paws off of me (pun intended). I should have done a lot of things. And I just… didn't.

In my mind I knew this couldn't end well. The closer I let myself get to Brady, the more it would sting when I finally had to push him away. However, he _had _said that if I agreed to go out with him he'd leave me alone, so why _shouldn't _I try to make use of this last chance to be near him like this?

We got our ride pass bracelets and he not only paid, but helped me put mine on. Why was he so sweet and sexy and nice and—did I say sexy? Cause he was that, too. Was he _ever_. I glanced up at the black curls around his temples again, imagining what it would feel like to run my fingers through them. If Brady liked my hair half as much as I did his, I could see why me straightening it upset him.

"Yes or no?" Brady asked.

"Hmm?" I hummed, looking up at him with curious eyes.

"I asked if you wanted to go on The Bullet first?" Brady repeated, inclining an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh," was I _flustered_? "Sure. Yeah." We headed over to The Bullet. It wasn't the tallest roller coaster on the boardwalk, but it was the fastest. I swallowed hard. Once we were in line, Brady turned to me with the same enthusiastic smile on his face he'd had since picking me up.

"So, tell me something about yourself."

I rolled my eyes, "You already know me, Brady."

"Do I really? It's not like we've exactly sat down and had many casual conversations before. And believe it or not, you aren't really much of the open-book type."

"Tell me all the things you know about me first, I'd hate to tell you something you already know," I persuaded.

"Well, you're a little under five and a half feet tall, you're adopted, your sister's name is Claire—"

"Stuff you know about me that _isn't _obvious," I specified.

Brady started again, "You have a soft spot for Melia, even though you always boss her around. You don't know what you'd do if you didn't have Lilly. You straighten your hair for the sole purpose of annoying me. You actually hate Camille. You act like you hate imprinting, but you actually are jealous of Lilly and Claire because you know they will never have to feel the kind of heartbreak that you've felt. A jackass named Thaeo didn't realize how special you are. You think you're a convincing liar, but I can see right through your lies. You blush a lot, and it annoys you even though it's charming. You're probably ten times smarter than me, even though you're only half as old. You know that you're pretty, but don't understand just how much. You miss your mom a lot, but you don't talk about her because it still hurts. You're too proud to tell Sam and Emily just how much they mean to you. You're deathly afraid of vampires hurting Claire. You—"

"Okay, I get it, I get it. If you know all of that without me ever telling you about any of it, what more could you _possibly _want to know?" I asked, surprised by the intimate details of my life Brady knew.

"What's your favorite food?" He inquired. I snorted.

"Really? You know all of that shit but you don't know my favorite food?"

Brady shook his head. "Enlighten me."

I chewed my lip for a second while I considered, but stopped immediately when I caught Brady staring. "Raspberries," I told him, "And spaghetti."

"Interesting. I thought it would be something crazy like the hearts of boys or something," Brady teased.

I surprised myself by actually laughing, "No, I had to quit. It was giving me high blood-pressure."

"I see," Brady nodded. "Favorite color?"

"Purple, probably. Though I really like sapphire blue as well."

"So we both have a soft spot for jewel tones," Brady smirked.

"Liking similar colors doesn't make us soul mates, Brady," I reminded him.

"Whatever you say, Angel."

"Stop calling me that. I'm no angel."

"Are you sure? Put on a white dress and then go look in the mirror," Brady suggested. We were at the front of the line then. Brady and I showed our wristbands to the guy working the ride and then got in the second car from the front. A little knot of fear formed in the pit of my stomach.

"Uh, isn't the front supposed to be kind of scary?" I asked quietly, trying to maintain an appearance of calm.

"Have you never ridden on a roller coaster before, Liza?" Brady asked, sounding rather amused.

"Don't you _dare _laugh at me, Brady Fuller," I threatened, narrowing my green eyes at him.

"I would never laugh at you, Eliza," he promised. Despite his words though, it looked like he was trying really hard not to crack up. "It's just, you're always so brave. The fact that you can spit in a vampire's face and then be afraid to go on a roller coaster is incredible."

"I am not afraid of _roller coasters_, Brady. I just really don't like heights. So I've never been on one," I explained with embarrassment.

"So you're afraid of heights? Of all things?" He questioned with a small smile on his face.

"Shut up!" I groaned. "I don't like being laughed at!"

"Didn't I just tell you I would never laugh at you?" Brady asked impatiently. "I just have never met anyone like you, Liza. The things you do shouldn't surprise me at this point, but you still manage to astonish me on a regular basis."

"Oh," I breathed, blushing and examining the bar pulled over our laps. Was this really the only thing that was supposed to hold me in?

"Hey, don't be scared, okay?" Brady's voice was gentle. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Oh that makes me feel _so _much better," I said drily. The ride started, and the car slowly began to creep along the track. I was _not_ going to panic. That would make me look like an idiot. Eliza Young didn't make a fool of herself in public.

_Just like you don't like Brady, right? _The voice in my head that was starting to sound an awful lot like Claire mocked.

The car began its slow climb to the top of the first drop. I wanted to close my eyes, but not knowing how far we were from the peak was even scarier than knowing. Once we were almost at the top, I made the mistake of looking down and squeaked.

"It's weird to see you like this," Brady mused as we reached the top.

"Afraid?" I asked, squeezing the lap bar so tightly my knuckles were white.

"Human," he specified. A half a second later we dropped. I screamed, but it was lost with the whooshing of air. Wind whipped wildly through my hair as we sped down the steep incline of the tracks. Brady wrenched one of my hands free of the bar and squeezed it, and it anchored me to the world while the rest of my body went weightless.

It was… exhilarating. And even though it was scary, I loved every minute of it. When the ride ended and we pulled back into the area we had boarded, I laughed.

"That was a rush!" I exclaimed. "We should go again!"

Brady laughed along with me, "So I guess you squashed that fear."

I smiled widely and dragged him out of our seats so we could go back around and get back in the line.

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

Half the day went by with us going on all sorts of rides. By her fourth or fifth one, Eliza wasn't afraid at all anymore. That meant I couldn't hold her hand, but I was too proud of her to be upset. How could any mere mortal be so fucking extraordinary?

Even more astounding than her ability to overcome her fear though was the conversations we had. They were silly, and often lighthearted, but it was better that way. Slowly but surely, I was learning all of the small but significant details of Eliza's life. English was her favorite subject in school, she thought Spiderman was better than Batman, she'd never seen Star Wars, she had a celebrity crush on some Channing Tatum guy, she didn't like storms. It was surreal to have such regular conversations with her. To talk to her without her shoving me away and telling me to leave her alone. It was inevitable, of course, at some point I was going to fuck something up and she'd turn back into the robot. But for now I was just enjoying Eliza.

The best part of the day had been the touching. Every now and then she would let down her guard, and I'd be able to hold her hand or put my arm around her. She'd usually get annoyed and shrug me off fairly quickly, but that didn't stop me from trying again. And again. I'd told her she looked great. That was a lie. She looked fucking stunning. I couldn't imagine her looking any more radiant… unless maybe her hair was curly. I was starting to not even mind the straight as much though. I loved her either way. Any way. Every way.

I wanted to kiss her so badly. Every few minutes I would see an opportunity, or feel the need to just cover her berry colored lips with mine, but I stopped myself. Eliza was being strangely tolerant of me today, and I wasn't going to push my luck.

Basically, I was having the time of my life with the girl of my dreams. After we'd been on all of the rides more times than I could count we started to walk around the boardwalk. I wasted fifteen dollars at one of those little ring toss games (which were _totally _rigged) trying to win Eliza a stuffed animal. Every time I failed Eliza laughed and told me that it was fine, and I didn't have to be good at everything, but that just made me more determined. I didn't give up until I won one of the stupid prizes. She chose the stuffed panda bear and kissed me on the cheek with another carefree laugh. I just about died of happiness. Then I wanted to punch myself for reacting like such a girl. I swear though, the second her lips touched my skin I had to fight the urge to trap her face between my hands and crash my lips against hers. I had to resist the urge to take her somewhere private and kiss the shit out of her. I just wanted to hold her, touch her, kiss her, experience her. Oh God, I needed this woman.

So anyways, Eliza and I were strolling along, watching the ocean and discussing possible names for her new bear when Eliza suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. A more raw panic than I had ever seen filled her eyes. My first thought was: vampire. I prepared myself to go into werewolf attack mode, but when I sniffed the air, the sickeningly sweet smell of leech wasn't present.

"It can't be," Eliza breathed, staring distraughtly down the boardwalk, where a boy and a girl were walking and sharing cotton candy.

"What is it, Angel?" I asked, trying not to panic myself, but needing to destroy whatever made her so frightened and upset.

She didn't respond at first, just watched the couple with wide-eyed terror. "Angel?" I repeated, not hiding my worry this time. Seeing Eliza so emotionally bare like this was alarming.

I followed her eyes back to the boy and girl. Suddenly, the boy looked our way and a wave of recognition washed over his face. He looked surprised at first. Eliza cursed and averted her eyes, pretending not to notice him. The boy nudged the girl he was with and said something in her ear. I tried to make out what it was, but there were too many people.

"You know him?" I asked Eliza, turning back to her.

She nodded, looking even paler than usual. "That's… Thaeo," she choked.

"_What?_" I hissed, my eyes returning to the punk ass kid. He _did _look native, and probably just a bit older than Liza. What was so special about this dickhead? He wasn't more than average height, he was rather lean, and his hair hung carelessly in his eyes like he was some skater punk. Seeing the fucker who had broken the heart of the girl I loved so heartlessly made it hard to resist killing him. He was so close, I could phase and be over to him in two seconds. He could be reduced to a pile of bones in ten. And each second he was getting closer… and the temptation to murder him was increasing.

"He's coming this way," I warned her.

"Fuck," Eliza cursed. She chewed her lip for a second and I forced myself not to be distracted by how sexy it was. "Brady, I need you to kiss me."

"_Excuse me?_" Now it was my turn to choke.

"Just do it! Pretend you're my boyfriend. Kiss me! I am _asking _you to kiss me," she said through her teeth.

Well… I wasn't exactly going to say no to _that_. Without a second thought, I pulled Eliza into my body and claimed her lips. This wasn't a chaste kiss like the last few we'd had. She had _asked _me to kiss her. If she was going to use me, I was at least going to take advantage of the situation. I pried her lips open with my tongue and she gave me access to her mouth with exaggerated enthusiasm, curling her fingers into the fabric of my jacket and holding me to her. I didn't care if the kiss was fake or not, kissing her like this was fucking hot. I tangled my fingers into her hair and tilted her back slightly, aware of several pairs of eyes—including the dickhead's—on us. Eliza's tongue collided with mine in a frenzy and she released her fingers from my jacket to wrap her arms tightly around my neck. Something about her clinging to me and letting me into her mouth was a little _too _nice. I wished every time I kissed her could be this fucking perfect. Except it wasn't perfect because a second later I heard a voice that I knew I would forever hate.

"Eliza? Eliza Young?" Thaeo asked uncertainly, standing a few feet away with the girl he had been with just behind him. Eliza jumped, as if she had not noticed his presence, and tore her lips away from mine, _much _to my disappointment.

"Thaeo?" Eliza asked uncertainly, squinting at him like she was trying to place the face that I was fairly sure had haunted her for years. One step and I would be within striking distance of the bastard.

"Wow, long time no see," Thaeo said.

_Yeah, of course you haven't seen her, dickhead, you ripped her to pieces. _

"Yeah," Eliza nodded.

"You certainly grew up nicely," he nodded appreciatively.

_Mine! Mine! Mine! Back off fuck-face! _I wanted to shout.

"Thanks," Eliza replied awkwardly. _Okay, time to step in._

"Hi, I'm Brady, Eliza's boyfriend," I informed him coldly, stepping forward and nonchalantly cracking my knuckles.

"Oh, this is Kelsey," Thaeo added, indicating the girl who was standing behind him. She was probably pretty, by average girl standards, but compared to Eliza she may as well have been a weed in a flower garden. "Kelsey, this is one of my old friends, Eliza."

He had _some nerve _even trying to call Eliza an "old friend". He wasn't worthy. I smiled as an idea popped into my head and I turned to Eliza and covered my mouth, asking "Hey, is this the guy you used to date who you said can't kiss?" I spoke in a voice that sounded like I was trying to be quiet, but was actually fairly loud. I was rewarded by a laugh from Eliza and a small nod. Thaeo shifted awkwardly.

"So, how've you been?" He asked, still looking at _my _Eliza. If he kept doing that I would have to castrate him. It didn't even matter that she wasn't actually my girlfriend, I still wouldn't let this jackass anywhere near her. Not after what he'd done.

"Great!" Eliza enthused. I felt so bad for her. Talking to this kid like nothing between them ever happened probably sucked like nothing else. But she—true to Eliza form—wasn't letting on to anything. "I'm a freshman at Forks High School. You still go to the Valley school?"

"Yeah, I see your sister around sometimes, but I never say anything."

"It's probably for the best, she never liked you," Eliza smiled innocently. God, I loved her. She was excellent.

"Oh, because of…?" He trailed off.

"No, she just always thought I was too good for you. Funny how things work out, huh?" She replied sharply. I put my arm around her waist and pulled her into me. She felt so good in the circle of my arm.

"Well—what is it, Theo?—my girlfriend doesn't seem very interested in this conversation, and we were kind of busy when you came over here, so if you don't mind—"

"Oh, right," Thaeo said, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Well, maybe I'll see you around, Eliza?"

"Probably not," Eliza shrugged. I tried with great effort not to laugh.

"Okay then, um, you really did grow up nicely. Bye," he took the Kelsey girl's hand and they left. The second he was gone, Eliza's triumphant smile evaporated, leaving only a deep barely contained sadness behind.

"Brady, get me out of here," she whispered desperately.

"Come on," I whispered in her ear, "How about we get out of here and go get something to eat?"

She nodded miserably and we left.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

"You should go talk to him, baby," I whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's been two days."

"I wouldn't even know what to say… Hey Embry, can you believe we're actually half-brothers?" Quil shook his head. It was Saturday night, and we were sitting on the couch, just cuddled up and talking. Mason was in the kitchen eating and trying to ignore us. I wished Mason wouldn't feel obligated to be here, because it was probably fairly awkward for him. But I wasn't going to send him away since he was so adamant about being here in case anything happened.

_Everyone is so willing to protect me,_ I thought irritably. _Am I even worth all of this_ _fuss? _Whether or not I wanted to admit it, Joy's words from Thursday had stuck with me. Yeah, the idea that Quil would die to protect me was romantic, but what if he actually _did _die? I could never live with myself if that happened. Why _should _the entire pack put their lives at risk to protect me? Why was I letting them? Was I honestly _that _selfish?

"Well you can't ignore him forever, Quil. He's your best friend. That hasn't changed." Counseling Quil over his problems was much easier than stressing over my own. Even when I did a good thing it was for selfish reasons. What was wrong with me?

"I know," he sighed. "But I can't very well leave you here all alone."

"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" Mason hollered from the kitchen.

"If only," Quil mumbled.

"Go see him, Quil. You deserve a break anyway. And the longer you wait the harder it will be to talk to him."

"But—"

"I'll be fine. Mason's here."

Quil gave me a look that said, "_exactly_" but said nothing.

"Come on, Quil. Don't you trust me?" Mason joked, walking into from the kitchen holding a sandwich.

"Not for a second," Quil said.

"Well, I do," I announced, "And you trust me, right?"

Quil scowled at me. "You're sneaky."

"Love you, too," I replied, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Hey, if you're gonna go talk to Embry, remind him that all this means me and him are cousins. He'll be thrilled," Mason smirked.

"Who wouldn't?" Quil replied drily, standing up from the couch. "Fine, I'm going. I shouldn't be back too late."

"Take your time, baby. This is important," I told him. I stood up and placed a hand on his cheek, expecting him to kiss me goodbye like he always used to. Instead he just smiled at me, frowned at Mason, and then left. There had been a depressing lack of passion and love in our relationship ever since our confrontation with Lilah.

"So what now?" Mason asked a moment later.

"Now we go upstairs and light Katniss Everdeen on fire!" I enthused, motioning him to follow me to my room for more reading time.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

After we finished eating a relatively pleasant dinner, Brady whisked me away to the beach. The last remnants of light were giving way to night as he laid a blanket down on the sand. I glanced down at it skeptically.

"The beach? Really?" I inquired.

"Yes, the beach. You suddenly allergic to sand, Angel?"

"No, but, uh… You and I kind of have a history with beaches." I couldn't stop the blush from flooding my cheeks.

If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn Brady's face darkened slightly, too. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I promise I won't surprise-attack kiss you."

"Fine," I sighed, plopping down on the blanket beside him. I leaned back so I was staring straight up into the heavens. It was a surprisingly clear night with thousands of pinpricks lighting up in the sky. The majesty of it was breathtaking.

"What are you thinking about?" Brady asked, lying quietly beside me.

"The sky is really clear tonight. It's nice to see the stars."

"They're cool," Brady shrugged, "But honestly, it's nicer to see you without worrying if you're about to try and choke the life out of me."

"How do you know I'm not?" I questioned, turning to look at him sharply.

"Well, are you?"

"No, not really," I admitted with defeat.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this but… are you okay? You know, about seeing Thaeo?"

My body went stiff as a board. I knew that I couldn't avoid what had happened earlier in the day forever, but I was hoping to at least get away with it for a few more weeks. Or months. Or years.

"I'm fine," I lied, my throat tight.

"I know when you're lying to me, Angel. Do you want me to hunt him down and beat his sorry ass?"

I smirked at the image of Brady punching Thaeo around for a while. "Firstly, I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Secondly, what happened between us was years ago. I'm way over it."

"Are you really?" Brady inquired softly, his eyes boring into mine.

"What's with all the questions?" I asked defensively, hoping to distract him.

"I worry about you, Liza. Every time you act like you don't have feelings, and I see how it weighs down on you. Every time I see the hollowness in your eyes, the broken mask you try to hide behind… I worry."

I started to stand up, "Look Brady, I really don't need your pity, kay? I'm a big girl. Please stop acting like you know everything about me and like you're so fucking wise! You don't know what goes on in my mind!" I began to storm off.

" Don't leave," Brady said, reaching out for my hand and pulling me back down. "Every time you get scared, every time I try to tell you how I feel, you leave."

_How I feel…_ I knew how Brady felt. Of course I knew. But that didn't mean I wanted to know. That didn't mean I was ready to hear those words. Living in fake denial was so much easier than facing the truth. Brady cared about me much more than I deserved.

"I'll stay, but no feeling talk," I informed him, lying back down. I was close enough that Brady's arm just barely brushed across my own, and I felt the heat radiating off of his body like crazy.

"Fine," Brady agreed, intertwining his fingers with mine. Even though the warmth was devastatingly inviting, I forced myself to yank away from his touch and keeps my arms flat against my sides.

I wanted to open up to Brady so badly. I felt a very human urge to let him be there for me and comfort me. I wanted it more than I could out in to words. Why couldn't I just be worthy of him? Why couldn't I be the kind of sweet, friendly, warm, open girls that he deserved? Even though stars lit the entire sky it still felt… void. Everything around me seemed empty. My home life was falling to pieces with Claire's life at stake, my friendships were breaking, my love life was in total ruins, and I had never felt so hopelessly alone.

"Brady," I asked hesitantly, "Do you believe that there's some spiritual force up there watching over us?"

"Like God?" Brady inquired, looking sideways at me. I shrugged in response. "Well Angel, there may be a God, and there may not be. But I can promise you that there are people constantly watching over you and protecting you."

"Like who?"

"Me. Not to sound like a stalker, but I care about you, Eliza. I look out for you. And so does Claire, Quil, Lilly, Embry, your father, Sam, Emily, Collin, in some fucked up kind of way, and I bet even your mother. Dead or alive, there are people who love you. God or no God, you're not alone. Don't ever feel alone."

I let that sink in for a second before responding. _There are people who love you…_

_People who _love _you. _

He said love. Not_ in_ love. There was _no way _Brady Fuller could actually be in love with me. Maybe he meant he loved me as a friend, or maybe he wasn't even including himself in that statement, but I refused to believe it was love. Not Brady. Not me. Not us. No.

True love was supposed to be a double sided thing. I knew I sure as Hell didn't love Brady (right?) so there was no way he could love me. It didn't work that way. I considered asking him what he meant when he said 'Love,' but stopped myself. Maybe I didn't want to hear the answer… Instead, I took the cowardly path and asked a different question. "Does my straight hair really annoy you?"

Brady laughed in spite of himself. "It used to annoy me to no end. But not so much anymore. It's not you, but it's still beautiful. I think it's about time you realize that there is nothing you can do to turn me away, not even frying your hair between two hot irons every day." As he spoke, he ran a strand of my pale blonde hair between his tanned fingers. The contrast was startling yet lovely.

"I'm going to keep trying, though. You know that, right?"

Brady scowled into the darkness. "I just don't get you, Eliza. Why can't you let me in? I'm not Thaeo. I'm not like him. You're perfect, you know _that_, right? Do you?"

I sighed, "Brady—"

"Don't 'Brady' me, Angel. Whatever this dickhead did to you to make you this way doesn't matter. What matters is that it's in the past and he means nothing. Don't let that idiot win."

I had to stop this. If I couldn't push Brady away now I would probably end up forcing my tongue between his lips. I may have been selfish, but I wasn't _that _selfish. Brady hadn't done anything in his life horrible enough for him to be stuck with me, and I had never done anything anywhere near good enough to deserve him. I couldn't make him stoop down to my level.

"Did you ever consider that this has nothing to do with Thaeo? I don't know why you keep thinking I'm some injured dove who's forgotten how to fly, but it needs to stop. If I wanted to be with you, Brady. I would be with you. I agreed to come on this date so you'd leave me alone and for no other reason. Remember that."

Suddenly, Brady's lips were at my ear. I gasped softly, and then wanted to curse myself for it. "You're a good actress, Angel. I'll give you that. And stubborn as nails to boot. But I'm a very patient man, and I'm not giving up on you."

Fuck, I just couldn't win, could I? "Of course not," I mumbled, both in response to his statement and my question.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

"Ready for the next chapter?" I asked around ten o'clock.

"If I have to spend another five minutes listening to Katniss complain about shit, I'm going to shoot myself," Mason replied.

I gave a small laugh and set the book down. "Can you blame her? How would you feel if death was looming over your head like that?"

"Who cares? Everyone dies at some point, and not everyone lives to watch their hair turn gray."

My stomach churned as an image of Nora Gomez's bloody corpse invaded my mind. If Lilah got her way… Who's to say I wouldn't be next? "Gee, thanks," I mumbled quietly, picking at my already chewed-down fingernails. _As if I'm not already terrified…_

"Damn it. Claire, you know I didn't mean you. Not like that. It just slipped out."

"It's true though," I stated, peeking up at him. "Not everyone lives for a long time."

"But you will. No question about it," Mason answered seriously. The possibility of my impending death was a little too heavy to deal with at the moment, so I aimed towards something a little lighter.

"Fine, no more reading tonight. My voice was starting to wear out anyways." I flung the book across the room and plopped down on my bed, arms sprawled out on either side of me. I let out a deep, exasperated breath and stared up at the ceiling. I felt the bed shift as Mason laid beside me, but didn't otherwise acknowledge him. It was silent or a few long minutes. The room was lit only by a lamp beside the chair I had just been sitting in and extremely rare moonlight poured in through the closed window.

"I, uh, saw my mom last month," Mason admitted hesitantly, shattering the silence. I sat up in surprise and gawked down at him.

"What?"

"Well, kind of. She noticed me, and I said a few words to her, but she acted like I was a complete stranger. It was a random run-in." He stared sadly up at the ceiling, and a totally new ache opened up in me. Not fear, but pity.

"I'm so sorry," I breathed.

"For what? It's not like you could have done anything to fix it."

"No, but I know you love her, and I know you miss her. It's painful for someone to be technically alive but dead to you. I can't believe a parent would do that."

"Believe it. Your dad did the same thing, if I recall. For like… eleven years."

That stung. "Look, Mason. Maybe it _is_ the same thing. That's not so horrific. My dad loved Eliza and I even when it seemed like he didn't. And he came back. Your mom will, too."

"Possibly… but I really don't wanna crash on Quil and Embry's couch for the next eleven years." We both laughed at that, and when I examined Mason's face I found a genuine, if not somewhat sad, smile there.

"No two people are the same. And if your mom loves you like I know she does… she misses you, too."

"You don't know, Claire. You've never even met her."

"But you tell me that I'm just like your mom, and if I were in her shoes I could never fully abandon _my_ child."

Mason's eyes lit with anger, "You know what, forget I even brought her up. I don't want to talk about this."

"Whatever," I shrugged, reclining back on the bed. It's not like I didn't have problems of my own I didn't want to discuss.

"So how do you think Eliza and Brady's hot date is going?" I asked in an attempt to relieve the tension still floating around. Mason smirked.

"Either she's killed him slowly by now or they're making out in a corner and unable to keep their hands to themselves. Or maybe they made out and then she killed him. Any of the three is quite plausible."

I erupted with laughter at the mental image of Eliza flinging herself at Brady passionately and then tearing away and pulling out a massive chainsaw. The laugh was cut suddenly short by a huge yawn.

"Tired already, my feisty friend?"

"No," I tried to reply firmly, but thinking about how I just yawned made me yawn again. And again. "Not at all," I added.

"Don't you go to bed at like, eight thirty?" He teased.

"No! Only boring people go to sleep that early. I am not boring, I've just had a tiring day."

"But you never left the house."

"I know. Being smothered by two people who hate each other is fucking exhausting."

"Oh," Mason chuckled. "Sorry."

"Yeah, you should be," I grumbled tiredly.

"It's life, Claire. I don't trust him, he doesn't trust me… but we have a common goal, so that stops us from lunging at each other's throats."

"So what you're saying is, even though the reason you two want to kill each other is because of me… because of me, you two _can't_ kill each other?"

Mason chortled, "Yeah, I guess so." He yawned.

"What's wrong, Mason? A little tired?" I mocked, yawning myself.

"Of course not," he replied defensively.

"It's not like _you've _had much time off, lately, either. You always get stuck having to watch me."

"Stop, Claire. I choose to be here. I can't protect you if I'm taking a nap."

I rolled onto my side and laid my palm against his cheek. "You can't do much of anything if you die from exhaustion. I know you and Quil are both eager to show me how you'd do anything for me, but this is too much. I can't stand putting people I care about in harm's way! I'm not _that_ girl."

Mason didn't say anything for a minute, but a slow smile had found its way onto his face. He pulled me a little closer to him.

"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"You care about me?" Mason asked in a futile attempt of casualty.

I laughed loudly, "Of course I care about you, Mason! You're my friend and you're important to me. Do you think I would fight with Quil to be your friend if I didn't care?"

"I care, too, Claire," he whispered, running his warm fingertips along my cheek and jaw. "Okay, maybe a little… _differently_ than you do, but it's basically the same thing. I can't stand around while you're in danger. And as sickening as it is to think of, you're in danger right now. And that means that no matter what, I have to protect you. Vampires… this isn't your fight. This isn't even your world. Whatever the vampire wants from you has to do with the pack. Anything that happens to you is our fault."

"But Maso—"

"If the roles were reversed, you'd do the same," he interrupted.

"Of course, but—"

"No buts. The conversation is over, Claire. You're going to be protected and you're going to like it."

I thought of protesting more, but it would be useless. Besides, I liked having Mason here. As greedy as it was, I would rather him be here with me than at home asleep. Everyone kept telling me that Mason wasn't a good guy… but none of them actually knew him like I did. And lately it seemed like Mason was the only person who could be regular with me. Quil had become all-business lately, no kissing, no "I love you", no real physical contact. I was surrounded by people constantly, but only when Mason was there did I feel like I wasn't truly alone. Only he had the ability to make me forget about all of the drama floating around.

"You look like you're thinking really hard about something," Mason noted, pulling back a little to examine my face. "What is it?"

"You're good at heart, you know. Just because other people don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't true."

Mason was silent for a moment, thoughtfully planning his response. "I think you've confused selflessness with selfishness. I will be here to protect you with my life, yeah. But not because Quil asked me to, not because it's pack obligation, not because it's a werewolf's job to protect people, but because you're one of the most important people in my life and this is the only excuse I have to be around you without your boyfriend trying to kill me."

I realized then that I was basically cuddled up with Mason on top of my bed and I knew I should pull away. I realized that the words he was saying should bother me and make me go off on the speech about how he can't talk that way and how Quil is my boyfriend, but I felt so… warm. Safe. Peaceful. I hadn't felt peace like this in weeks. It was always stress, drama, life and death situations, drowning with problems. And right now I could just… float.

So instead of arguing, pushing back, or getting angry, I just mumbled a tired, "Okay."

"Rest your eyes, Claire, you're already half-asleep."

I gave a small nod and felt his lips brush softly across the crown of my head. The gesture was so comforting that I happily succumbed to the weightlessness of my peace. Sleep claimed me almost instantly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the delay between this chapter and the last one. Life catches up to me sometimes. I had originally planned to finish this story on New Years Eve, but somehow don't think that is possible anymore. We'll see. I'd like to take a moment to clarify that Mason is not the world's biggest pedophile who wants Claire to fall asleep in his arms, he genuinely cares about her and sees how exhausted she is. If you thought a lot happened in this chapter, oh, JUST YOU WAIT! THE FINISH LINE IS IN SIGHT! Only seven more chapters of part II guys! **

**As always, please REVIEW!**


	51. Revelations

**A/N: Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have this story finished by New Years like I had hoped. The good news? Winter Break! I'll hopefully be updating a lot in these next two and a half weeks. Enjoy this chapter, review, and well… feel free to tell me you hate me, because I'm kind of evil.**

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

At exactly ten fifty-five, Brady was pulling his truck up onto my driveway. A few lights were on in the house, but luckily my father wasn't watching us from the dining room windows or anything creepy.

Wordlessly, Brady got out of the car and began to come around to my side. To emphasize my point about how I didn't need him to do things for me, I swung open the door before he had the chance and hopped out. He didn't say anything to that, but inclined an eyebrow. "I'm still walking you to the door you know."

"Fine. And then our little 'relationship' is over forever, got it?" I snapped.

"Fine. Unless of course you decide you don't want it to be," he sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, fat chance," I retorted, not allowing him to intertwine our fingers. I was determined to leave this date off on a bad note. Brady could not leave here thinking there was even the slightest chance for us. Having hope would only make it harder for the both of us. I didn't want Brady to have to hurt anymore.

We walked up the two front steps right to the door. "Well, if you must know, I suppose this wasn't the most horrible date that I've ever been on. But just barely," I admitted grudgingly.

"It's not over yet, Angel," Brady smirked.

"My curfew is in less than five minutes. I don't know what you think you're possibly going to do in that amount of ti—" I stopped talking abruptly when Brady held up a his index finger to my lips, effectively shushing me. He moved his other hand to cup my neck and the lowered his finger from my lips to the small of my back and replaced it with his own lips. My knee-jerk response was to melt into him and deepen the kiss, but I didn't. And much to my surprise, neither did he. It was sweet, gentle, just the soft movement of his lips across mine. Then, for the briefest of moments he deepened the kiss before removing himself from me altogether. A pleased grin made its way onto his face. A flush rose to my cheeks so intense I wanted to melt into the ground and die of embarrassment. Why did I let him do that? Why didn't I fight him? Why did I like it _so _much?

"Well, glad that's over with," I said awkwardly, hoping to still turn the situation around. "Glad you won't be antagonizing me anymore. Have a nice life, Brady Fuller. Bye." I escaped into the house before he could reply and slammed it shut behind me, keeping my back pressed firmly to the door. Around that time my knees gave out, and I slowly slid to a sitting position.

_I think I took care of that pretty well, _I decided.

Yeah right. Deep down, I knew I was utterly screwed.

Back when I was twelve I had sworn to myself that I would never get emotionally invested in a boy again. I would never relive the pain I went through with Thaeo. I swore that I would have fun with boys, date boys, but never let them close to me. Never let them get to know me. I never wanted anyone to get to know me on a deep personal level ever again. I never wanted anyone to know my insecurities, my fears, my desires… I swore to become an emotional zombie on the outside. I could never let people know that I cared enough for them to hurt me. Not even Lilly. Not even Claire. And I hated the feeling of carrying all of this on my back with no one to open up to, but that pain I could deal with. Heartbreak, I could not. So I promised to never let another person get close enough to burn me that way.

And then Brady Fuller had to go and kiss me on the beach. And on Sam and Emily's porch. And outside Vampie HQ in front of the whole pack. And in the forest next to the beach. And on the park bench. And just now on my front porch. Then Brady Fuller had to go and talk about how wonderful and perfect and smart I was. How beautiful and interesting and funny I was. He had to try and get to know me. He had to weasel his way into my life—and apparently my heart—with his charm. And I hated him so damn much for it…

Except—I didn't hate him. I hated how he made me feel. I hated that he made me re-think everything I thought I knew about the world. I hated how he was so romantic and perfect and charming and funny and loyal that I, a lying, bitchy, sneaky, closed-off, nosey, know-it-all could never deserve him.

Most of all, I hated the fact that somehow, someway, he had managed to make me fall hopelessly, deeply, irreversibly in love with him.

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

"I love you, man," Embry smiled, giving me what could only qualify as a 'manly hug.'

"Same to you. You know, I've always considered you a brother anyways," I reminded him.

"Of course, this also means I'm related to Mason. Fuck. We're what, half-cousins?"

"Unfortunately. Apparently someone tossed a bad gene into the pool," I smirked. "But speaking of Mason, he's been alone with my girlfriend for over three hours. I should go check on her."

"Yeah, I think I need to call my mom and ask her when she was planning on telling me that my best friend was actually my brother. How is Claire, by the way?"

"She's fine," I answered immediately, "Why wouldn't she be? _Nothing_ is going to happen to my Claire."

Embry put up his hands and took a step back, "Of course, bro. Never said something was, just concerned. You know she's like my kid sister."

"If my imprint is a kid, then yours is an infant," I teased. Embry didn't laugh.

"Well, I'm gonna go," I announced.

"Yeah, you better go before I beat your ass for talking about my imprint, little brother!"

"Don't even start!" I laughed, dashing out of the house and phasing before heading to the north side of La Push.

The talk with Embry had went better than I could have hoped, and even though it was weird, and I couldn't get over the fact that my father had an affair, I knew that over time I would become used to it. But now that that was out of the way, I had to get back to Claire. Mason may have been a werewolf, but that didn't mean he could sufficiently protect her if Lilah or her mysterious accomplice showed up. Luckily, the steel cables binding me to her in my heart weren't snapping and breaking . If Claire was really dead, I would have felt it in my heart. But still, three hours alone with Mason made me feel a little uneasy. Despite what he said, I knew I couldn't trust him. Not even a little.

Claire's bedroom window glowed faintly with only the light of her miniature lamp on her dresser. I realized that Claire probably wasn't in her room if it was so dark, so I tried for the front door instead. I jiggled the doorknob first to see if it was open and found that it was. As I attempted to get it open, however, I felt an opposite force resisting. Had someone stuck a table in front of the door and decided not to tell me? Once I got the door all the way open I found the opposing force. Eliza had been sitting on the floor with her back against the door and a look of utter distress painted over her face. I contemplated asking her what was wrong, but that would only waste time, and she wouldn't have told me anyways. "Where's Claire?" I asked instead.

Eliza shook her head as if to shake away whatever was wrong and then glanced up at me. "Beats me. I just got back a few minutes ago. Probably up in her room," she informed me, bringing herself onto her feet and climbing the stairs.

I let that sink in for a minute. In her room? But her room had looked pretty dark. Why would she be in there if it was so dark? My first panicked conclusion was that Lilah had come for her and stolen Claire right out of her bed, but that was just me being paranoid. Mason may have been a dick, but he wasn't an idiot. He would have called me if something went wrong.

Unless Lilah killed Mason…

_Stop it, Quil. There isn't even the smell of leech in the house. _Still, I made my way quickly up the stairs after Eliza and travelled all the way down the hall to Claire's bedroom. Still no leech smell.

I shrugged and opened the door. Claire was in there alright. Fast asleep on top of her bed. Beside her laid Mason, equally asleep, and with his arms wrapped loosely around Claire. _My _Claire.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded in a booming voice.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

"What the hell is going on?"

The anger in Quil's voice jolted me out of my slumber. My eyes flew open and I sat upright in bed. Mason did the same, and I wonder if he had fallen asleep, too. Then I noticed how close we were, and remembered that I had basically been in his arms when I'd fallen asleep, and a very sick feeling rolled over me.

"It's not what it looks like, Quil. We just fell asleep," I promised. I peeked at Mason from the corner of my eye and found him equally surprised, but with a small smirk on his face. Shit, what had I done?

"Well you two certainly looked… _cozy_," Quil spat the last word.

I stood up and went over to him, placing a hand on his muscle-corded arm. "Nothing happened. It was nothing."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Nothing for you, maybe," Quil growled, glaring menacingly at Mason, who let out a content yawn and got off of my bed.

"She was tired. I put her to bed."

"Yeah, and then got in with her!" Quil shouted, shrugging me off and punching Mason _hard _across the face.

"Quil! Stop it! Damn it, calm down."

"Oh, trust me. This. Is. My. Calm." Quil growled through his teeth.

"Don't be mad because I can be here for your girlfriend when you can't. Jealousy isn't a good look on you, Chester," Mason was still smirking, but was rubbing his already bruising jaw.

"Mason, stop it," I ordered gently, "You're only making things worse."

"No, I'm not going to apologize for taking care of and protecting you! It's not a crime to care! Quil's the one who is always freaking out about your safety! He should be _thanking_ me!"

"Claire, Eliza seemed distraught when I saw her. Maybe you should go check on her," Quil told me softly, not tearing his eyes away from Mason. I noticed that his body was starting to shake and knew he was about to lose it.

"Yeah, Claire," Mason mocked. "Maybe you should. Maybe you should do everything Quil says and always see him as the perfect good guy when he really isn't! Better hurry and get out of here before you can see who he really is. It would be a shame for you to see that your boyfriend is a temperamental controlling abusive jackass!"

"Stop it! Both of you _stop it!_" I demanded, my throat closing up with hot angry tears. "All you do is fight and I'm not going to deal with it! Just stop it!"

I was ignored, of course. "And what are you, Mason? You think _you're _the nice guy? Flirting with my imprint? Trying to move in on her when I'm not around? Stop thinking about yourself and your foolish little crush for one second please and realize that I'm allowing you to live for Claire's own good, not yours. You worthless, motherless piece of—" Before he could finish, Mason kneed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Stop it!" I screamed.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" My father appeared in the now open doorway.

"Funny, that's the same thing I asked when _I _walked in," Quil commented drily, still trying to catch his breath.

"What's going on is that Quil here can't handle the idea that Claire likes me."

"Well if you two are going to fight, take it outside please," he said sternly.

"Gladly," Quil mumbled pushing Mason backwards out the open window.

I screamed, racing to the window and looking out as Mason phased in mid-air and landed on his rust colored paws.

"What. The. Fuck! Quil, what has gotten into you?" My voice was livid as I whipped around to face him. My father retreated down the hallway.

"That bastard is lucky I didn't do worse," Quil replied.

"Nothing happened! I was exhausted, I could tell he was, too! So we fell asleep by accident! I know it looked bad, I'm sorry. You know I wasn't trying to do anything to spite you. It's not like it was planned! God, Quil, how many times do I need to tell you to just fucking trust me?"

"I trust you, Claire. It's him I don't trust! I don't fucking care if nothing happened, what matters is that he wanted something to happen. Anyone with eyes can see that that dickhead is in love with you and you just refuse to believe it! I'm not going to stand around while you make nice with the kid trying to take you away from me, Claire! I don't want you seeing him anymore!"

Mason was _in love with me?_ No. That couldn't be right. Quil probably thought every guy who looked at me twice was in love with me. I mean, I obviously knew Mason had feelings for me a little stronger than I did for him, but that didn't mean he was actually in love with me. I'd only known him for five months. Quil was jealous, I understood that. And he was my protector, I understood that too. I loved him, but that didn't give him the right to try and control my life. "I know I'm only sixteen, Quil, but I still have a right to do what I want, I'm my own person! I'm not a _child!_"

"No, you're my fucking _girlfriend. _My imprint. I'm your boyfriend, remember me?"

"Boyfriend?" I scoffed, the tears were threatening to spill over now. "You certainly haven't been acting like my boyfriend lately! More like my bodyguard. I miss who you used to be before all this vampire shit started happening! Now you're so cold towards me. You want to keep me safe, yes, but when is the last time you told me you loved me? Or kissed me? Do you even remember, because I can't!" And then I started to cry.

Quil's face softened at my tears, but only slightly. "Claire, we kiss all the time."

"No, _I _kiss _you_. I tell _you_ that I love you. I feel like I'm the only one who cares about this relationship!"

"I'm trying to keep you alive. I'm willing to do anything to protect you. If that's not love enough for you then what the hell is? Enlighten me. Claire, you know I love you. You know how much you mean to me. I love you so much it hurts. I wouldn't go through all of this shit if I didn't love you." He pulled me into him and tried to kiss me, but I put a hand over his mouth to stop him.

"No! It doesn't count if I have to tell you to kiss me and say you love me. That's not how a relationship works! Especially not how _our _relationship works."

"Damn it, Claire. What more do you fucking want from me? I'll do it. You want me to cut my head off? Fine. You want me to give Mason a big bear hug? I'll do it. But nothing is good enough for you, is it? I can never please you!"

"Please stop yelling at me, Quil. I'm tired. Maybe you should go," I muttered.

"Claire, I don't want that ass hole to ruin our relationship. You mean too much to me. I can't lose you," his voice was a little gentler, but the edge that didn't belong to my Quil's voice still remained. I hated this Quil. I needed my boyfriend back.

"Mason isn't a bad guy, Quil. He's misunderstood, and he's been through a lot, but he's still good."

"Are you fucking blind?" Quil shouted. I gasped, tearing as far away from him as possible. Quil's eyes widened with horror as he realized what he'd said. "No Claire, wait. I didn't mean—"

"Get out." I ordered in a low, calm voice, barely containing my hurt and rage and sadness.

"Claire, baby—" he tried to wrap his arms around me. I beat against his chest until he released me, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

"Get out!" I yelled, unable to stop the flood of emotion from escaping my throat. "I can't even look at you right now! Get the fuck out of my house! Just go away! Get lost! _Leave_!" He backed up wordlessly to the windowsill and jumped out after sending me one last, sorrowful look. I didn't even check to see if he landed on his feet… just went to the window, slammed it all the way shut, and locked it. No wolf would be getting back into my room tonight.

Then, in a sort of a daze, I fell onto my bed and sobbed. I cried for Mason, and I cried for my worst fight ever with Quil, and mostly, I cried for myself. I cried until it felt like there was nothing left in my body to possibly cry out. My family knew better than to disturb me. After my eyes were completely dried out, I kicked off my jeans and crawled into my blankets, never wanting to see the light of day again.

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

Hearing her sobs was too much to bear, but I couldn't leave Claire unattended, so Leah took over watching her.

_Girls crying have no affect on me,_ she'd explained.

For a while I just sped through the forest, trying to blow off steam in a way that didn't involve me hitting people. I wished I could just push the anger and hurt and despair aside and go numb, but I didn't have that kind of luck. No, instead I got to enjoy worst kind of pain I had ever known. The pain of knowing my imprint was mad at me. Claire and I had never had an argument so awful before. We'd never yelled so much. She'd never hit me and struggled to get away from me like that. The last time I had felt this sick inside was when Claire and I nearly kissed that day after her birthday on my couch and I'd rejected her in a moment of panic. That time I had gone to Nessie and she'd made everything better. She was wise beyond her years and certainly knew about imprinting. But Renesmee, at the end of the day, was still a woman. And a woman couldn't help me through this situation. I needed to talk to an imprinter, not an imprintee. One who knew how to handle the agony of causing your imprint pain. Before I had made the conscious decision to do so, I was already three quarters of the way to his house. Yes, there was only one option in this situation. And he loved Claire, too. He cared about her. I knew he wouldn't be happy with me, but he was the only one I could think of to help me.

Sam.

The house was dark when I arrived—unsurprising for the Uley family. Unlike me, Sam and Emily were early risers. I almost wanted to turn back then and let them sleep, but worried that if I did I would go crazy. Claire would really never take me back if I was off my rocker. Instead of going to the door and knocking, which would certainly wake up Amelia as well, I knocked lightly on Sam and Emily's window. Sam made a grunting noise that sounded like "Agh!" and jumped up from the bed. He whipped his head toward the window as he pulled a baseball bat out from under the bed. I put my hands up in surrender and gave a nervous grin. Upon recognizing me, Sam relaxed noticeably and dropped the bat.

"Can we talk?" I mouthed. Sam gave me a studious look before nodding.

"Be right back," he mumbled to Emily, kissing her chastely on the lips.

I ventured around the side of the house to meet him on the back porch. Sam's drowsiness from the bedroom had vanished, and he appeared to be very serious now. "You look like shit, what's going on?" He inquired.

"It's Claire," I answered, a sharp pain stabbing through my chest as I spoke her name.

Sam went dead still, "Is she hurt?"

"No, no," I assured him. "She's fine. In that way, at least."

At my words, Sam's eyes narrowed, "What happened?" He demanded.

I laughed without humor, "The better question is: what _didn't_ happen? I fucked up, Sam. This imprinting stuff isn't as easy as everyone thinks. Every single thing I do, I do it for her. She's the center of my everything. And I thought she understood that. I thought she realized how much I loved her, and how I just can't lose her. How I can't let anyone harm her. How I can't imagine anyone else having her. Since we've started dating I've put her in harm's way four times. Four. I felt like such a fuck up of a protector. After that day at the diner I swore to myself that Claire would never have to feel fear like that again. She'd never again have to stare death in its big ugly face. I've been busting my ass trying to keep my oath and protect what I love most in the world, and while I'm off doing this she's cuddling up to Mason! Literally in bed asleep with him! When I walked in on them I was pissed. And I felt betrayed. And I saw red. I yelled at Mason, I hit him, he yelled back, he hit me. I pushed him out of an open window. Anyway, the point is… then I turned on Claire. I yelled at her. I told her to stay away from Mason. I shouldn't have snapped at her like that. Claire tells me I need to trust her, and of course I do… But she doesn't understand what Mason is capable of and… I just wanted to protect her. From all the bad, rotten, cruel things in the world. But in the end, I just ended up hurting her myself. Emotionally. And I don't know how to deal with this agony and regret inside me. And I don't know how to fix things with her. I have to fix this, Sam. I can't let Claire slip away from me. I love her so much."

Throughout my entire story, Sam was silent and still. His face was indecipherable. That made me nervous. After all, he could very well be planning to kill me for yelling at his niece. If that wouldn't leave Clare without proper protection, I would have probably even let him.

When he finally did open his mouth to speak, his voice was calm and reasonable, "Quil, remember a few months ago when I told you that you had to think of what's best for Claire and not let love overpower logic?"

I nodded.

"Well, you also can't let logic overpower love. Claire needs you to be there for her. Not just as a protector… but as a lover. Now so more than ever. Don't let someone who makes you feel that happy slip away from you." With that, Sam stretched his arms and pulled open the back door once more.

"Th—that's it? That's all you have to say?" I asked incredulously.

"I can say something else if you'd like. How about 'It's past midnight and I'm tired.' Goodnight Quil."

"Okay, go back to sleep. Night Sam, and uh, thanks."

"Anytime. Well, anytime between six in the morning and ten o'clock at night."

Even after Sam disappeared back into the dark house I stood there, letting the November cold settle deep into my skin while I tried to take in what Sam said. _Claire needs you to be there for her. _

Had I not loved Claire every moment of every day since the day I'd met her? Had I not always been there for her in any and every way that she needed me? Who was Sam to say that I wasn't there for Claire romantically? I was there for Claire literally 24/7!

_Not just as a protector… but as a lover._ The words resounded through my mind.

All I wanted was what was best for Claire—was that really such a crime? I wanted her to be safe no matter what happened, no matter what circumstances tried to get in the way. Was that not love in its strongest form? But…

But before tonight… when _was _the last time I'd told Claire how much I loved her? When was the last time I kissed her just to feel the sweet pleasure that came along with her lips? When was the last time I'd held her in my arms, not to protect her, but simply because the idea of letting her out of my reach was worse than the idea of shoving my hand through my chest and ripping my heart out. God, when was the last time we'd had _sex?_ A month? More? Too fucking long.

Our relationship had tension alright, but it wasn't of the sexual variety. It was the "Oh- my-God-vampires-are-trying-to-kill-you-and-Mason-is-in-your-bed" kind. And Claire wasn't the only one who hated it.

On that porch, in the dark of the night, with the icy talons of night brushing over my feverish skin, I had a revelation.

I was so caught up in protecting Claire that I had forgotten the reason I needed to protect her in the first place. She was my imprint, but I had forgotten the meaning of the word. Life, death, drama, danger, tension, everything I dealt with was for those few precious moments a day when I could pull Claire into my arms and bask in her glory. When I could kiss her and hold her and remember why I needed to survive and do the same thing the next day. Claire was the greatest gift I could have ever been blessed with—and I didn't need to waste another minute talking about the idea behind the gift. I needed to fucking enjoy it.

Well actually, first I had to get down on my knees and grovel and beg pitifully for the goddess that I loved so dearly to grace me with forgiveness.

_Shit, this isn't going to be easy._

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

The speed at which I was ripped from my dreams startled me, the usual period of time between gaining awareness and fully waking up having been completely skipped over. Pale morning grayness drifted through my sad excuse of a curtain, filling the room with a dreary sort of light. _Perfect,_ I mused, _how indicative of my mood_.

Though the alarm clock on my dresser clearly read that it was after ten o'clock in the morning, I was not yet willing to drag myself out of bed and face the day. Maybe if I just stayed in my room I could fall back asleep and dream of a perfect world where everyone loved each other and I didn't get in horrible screaming fights with the person I was supposed to love unconditionally—_the person I _do_ love unconditionally, _I corrected myself quickly. There was no rule saying I couldn't be angry with the ones I loved, right?

I smacked the thought away quickly. Fighting with Quil couldn't possibly have been right if it made me feel so wrong on the inside. I sighed and rolled over in my bed, hoping sleep could just capture me as it had before. What I found instead was a note, placed neatly on the pillow beside mine. Hesitantly, I unfolded the slip of paper.

_Claire,_ it read.

_If I had a spine, I would be saying this to your face right now. But you're so peaceful while you sleep, I can't disturb that. Okay, maybe that's only half-true. I just didn't know if my heart could handle it if you cried. If Mason has ever said a single educated thing in his life, it was when he told me to "Stop being such a cowardly little bitch."_

_But hey, I'm not writing this to talk about Mason. I'm writing this because even though we argue, and I know I make frustrate you sometimes, I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone. I love you when I wake up in the morning and I love you when I go to sleep. You fill my thoughts every moment of every day and own my heart completely. I would feed myself to a pack of leeches if it meant you could avoid one minute of sadness. It's more than not wanting to live without you… after fourteen years of being with you I don't know how it's even possible _to_ live without you. It's unimaginable, unbearable… _

_I can't lose you. I'm not going to lose you. I'm sorry if you feel suffocated, and I'm sorry I haven't been myself lately, but you're in danger and that means I have to do everything in my power to keep you safe. Don't you understand how much I need you, Claire? God, if something happened to you…_

_No. I'm not even going to go there. Just remember that I'm a protector as well as your soul mate. This is my job. And don't go off in your mind like you do and think I'm only protecting you because I feel obligated to. I'm doing it because I need you. _I need you._ I need you so much._

_I understand that you're mad at me. I'm mad at me, too. I yelled at you, and I let my temper flare up, and it was wrong of me. As much as I hate to admit it, seeing you with other guys—hell, even Embry sometimes —makes me wildly jealous. You're mine. I don't own you… But I'm happy to claim the hell out of you. Yes, I'm a selfish jackass and an idiot and every other horrible thing you can think of, but I do have one thing going for me… You. You make me want to be good all the time. You make me want to believe everything you say. You make me feel like I should just trap you in my arms forever and never let you go. _

_Imprinting on you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Sure, things haven't been easy… life isn't easy. But everything—yes even dealing with Mason—is worth it. Because at the end of the day, I have you. _

_So I hope you can forgive me, baby. And even if you can't, remember that I love you. Even when I don't say it, even if I don't show it, you're my everything. _

—_Quil_

Tears were forming in the corners of my eyes as I finished reading his name. Not the same tears of last night, but a different kind all together. I kicked out of my sheets in a hurry, rushing to my window and yanking the curtain back. There was no sign of my familiar chocolate brown wolf in the trees, only a small gray one. _Leah maybe?_ I still couldn't keep them all straight. I let the curtain fall back and hurried to my closet. I had to find Quil. All I could think of was seeing him. As I pulled a long-sleeved shirt over my head I prayed that he wasn't in wolf form right now. That would make finding him so much more difficult. Unless I just asked Leah. She may know.

Two minutes later my feet were pounding down the stairs. The sounds of my family eating breakfast floated over from the kitchen and I headed their direction, figuring it was probably a good idea to inform them where I was going. I still had Quil's letter clutched in my hand, and brought it up to my heart lovingly as I practically ran down the hall.

I skidded to a stop upon entering the kitchen. There, sitting at the table with Eliza, was Quil, sipping a cup of coffee. A little squeak escaped my throat, and he looked up. Our eyes met instantly. I struggled for something to say, coming up blank. Quil stood up slowly and looked like he was about to say something, but I just shook my head. Nothing needed to be said. I held up the letter and whimpered a little, feeling a wave of happy tears threatening to spill over. "Claire?" Quil whispered uncertainly.

I couldn't take the separation anymore. Without thinking, I scrambled across the room and into his arms, squeezing him as tightly as I could manage. He lowered his head at the same time as I got on the tips of my toes and our lips met with a passion that I hadn't felt for weeks.

"I love you," Quil mumbled into my mouth.

"I know," I replied, "and I love you, too."

There was a loud screech on the linoleum as Eliza's chair was pushed out from the table. Wordlessly, she stormed out of the kitchen. Apparently for her it was too early in the day for loving embraces. I couldn't find it in me to care, though. Not when I had my Quil back. _Really back._

Maybe things were finally starting to look up…

* * *

><p>…<p>

"You called?" The boy asked, entering the room silently. After nearly three months of vampirism he was finally starting to get used to the way he could move without a single sound, but it was still strange.

The office chair, which had previously been turned so its back faced the boy, spun around. There was his boss, Lilah, her vibrant blue hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her eyes were narrow red slits in her face, and even though the boy knew that if he looked in a mirror he would find the same was true for himself, looking into Lilah's eyes was unnerving.

"Yes Cyril, thank you for coming on such short notice," Lilah said, as if Cyril had actually had a choice.

"Of course, Mast—Lilah." Lilah didn't like it when Cyril called her Master, and Cyril didn't want to get in trouble with her again. Lilah ignored his near slip of the tongue and parted her lips to speak.

"I'm getting impatient of this little game of cat and mouse. It's time to finish this. Do you remember the plan?"

Cyril nodded.

* * *

><p><strong>;) 'Till Next Time<strong>


	52. Plan B

**A/N Sorry for the wait, guys. My heart has been CAPTIVATED by books lately. I read The Host a few weeks ago and now I'm reading a series called Beautiful Creatures, so I've been distracted. Good news is that this is the LAST filler chapter of part II. The rest will all be very exciting. Author's promise ;) Oh, and to all of you anonymous reviewers, I wish I could reply to you and tell you how amazing each and every one of you are! Okay, enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Collin<em>

It had been three weeks since Brady had heard from, seen, or spoken to Eliza. I didn't get it. Sure, he'd promised to stay away from her, but since when did Brady keep his promises? Not to mention the fact that I had been _sure _mine and Lilly's plan was going to work!

So November melted into December without much excitement. The weather was brutal, teenagers were cramming one semester's worth of missed information from sleeping in class into their brains for exams, and soccer moms were running wild around town to finish their Christmas shopping. Oh, and I turned twenty-nine, but who cares about me?

So it was a Friday night in mid-December and I, being the guy that I am, was in the mood to go out with my best friend and get drunk off my ass. Or, as drunk as a werewolf could actually get. But no, apparently Brady was in the mood for another night of dragging around the house frowning at shit.

"Okay, get the fuck off of the couch and put some real clothes on, we're going out," I told him.

Brady didn't even look at me, "I'm just gonna stay in tonight. Call Austin or Nolan. They like going out."

"I wasn't asking, Brady. Get off of your ass and get ready to go," I said impatiently.

"No. I don't want to go out. Leave me alone."

"Either go after her or get over her, dude. You can't just live like this forever."

"She doesn't want to see me," Brady mumbled.

"So? She never wants to see you! Since when does that stop you?"

"My point exactly," he said.

"Knock knock," I said.

"Not in the mood for a joke, Collin."

"Knock knock," I repeated, more forcefully this time.

Brady sighed, "Who's there?"

"No one. Girls aren't going to just come knocking on your door if you sit around in the house and mope like a pussy. You love her, right? Go get her!"

"You just—don't understand," Brady complained, getting up from the couch and storming past me into his bedroom.

I drove my foot into the side of the couch in frustration. Typical Brady. The only person I knew who wallowed in their own misery as much as he did was Eliza. And maybe Quil. Why did everyone think love was so great if it caused this much pain? I let out an angry breath and removed my cell phone from my pocket. Looks like my night of alcohol and loose women was actually going to be a night of meeting up with Lilly and creating a new scheme—a plan B.

I dialed her number—now committed to memory—and evacuated the house so Brady couldn't listen in. After a few rings, she answered. "Hello?" Lilly greeted, sounding slightly distracted.

"Hey, it's me. Can I come over? My place stinks of self-pity right now. If you're up for it I've started working on a new plan and—"

"Actually Collin," Lilly interrupted. "I can't talk right now. I'm in the middle of something."

"Wait, are you with Eliza right now?" I asked.

"No."

"Embry?" I tried again.

"No."

"So what? I'll be over in twenty?"

"Collin, I'm busy. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"What's more important that the happiness of our best friends?" I questioned.

"Uhh, my happiness for once?" She tried.

From her end of the phone, I heard a distantly familiar male voice ask "Who're you talking to?"

"Wait—are you on a _date?_" I asked incredulously.

"Goodbye, Collin," Lilly chimed. The line went dead.

_Perfect, just fucking perfect._ I guess I was on my own this time.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

Agony.

Three weeks without seeing him and I was already almost at my breaking point. How was it that I could make people think I was so strong when I was this weakly pathetic? If I could barely handle three weeks away from this man, how was I supposed to avoid him forever?

I'm sure it would get easier once I knew he moved on. Once he met a girl who could be there for him and make Brady happy in ways I never could be able to.

The idea of Brady moving on—even though it was what I so desperately wanted—made me feel sick to my stomach. I had spent hours leaning over the toilet at night, dry heaving because I hadn't eaten anything in the day to be able to throw up. It was all so unfair. How could he be just within my reach and still impossibly far away?

The fact that Lilly suddenly had a boyfriend of her own wasn't helping much. How was I supposed to keep my mind off of Brady while her and Travis were making goo-goo eyes at each other from across the table at lunch every day? The worst part of all? A school dance was coming up the following weekend. Everyone was getting dates to the Winter Formal. Lilly was going with Travis, Jasmine with Marco, Camille with a sophomore on the basketball team (shocker, I know), and Gaby with Danny (the two had actually been dating regularly since my birthday). The last time I'd gone to a school dance I'd basically dumped Marco for Brady, even though I hadn't realized it at the time. I couldn't imagine what this one would hold.

A few guys had asked me, of course, but the idea of being close to another guy in any way disgusted me. I didn't want another guy! I wanted… Brady. God, I wanted him, wrong or not. But I obviously couldn't go to the dance with _him_.

I'd just made up the decision to waste my ticket and not go at all when my father called me from downstairs. "Eliza, there's a _boy _here to see you," he informed me distastefully.

My stomach twisted. _Brady? _No. If it was Brady, dad would have said so. And Brady wouldn't break his side of the deal, anyway. He was a good guy. Too good.

His wingman, however, had a mind of his own. "Collin?" I asked, my mouth gaping open as I reached the bottom of the stairs. He stood in the entryway of my house, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" He asked, glancing at my father from the corner of this eye.

"Of course," I said.

"You most certainly can_not_," Dad interrupted, his glare cutting into Collin deeply.

"Dad, it's fine," I promised, patting him on the shoulder and turning him in the direction of his office. Once he was gone, I redirected my attention to Collin. "Talk," I ordered.

"So, I uh, heard there's a dance at your school next week and I figured if you didn't have anyone to go with you'd uh.. maybe want to go with me?" He grinned impishly and handed me the flowers.

"Excuse me?" I choked.

"Come on, Liza. Obviously I don't mean a date like that, but the last time I took you out didn't end very well and I want to make it up to you. Please? You can't say no to this face." He batted his thick lashes at me and attempted to look cute and innocent. I laughed for the first time in weeks.

"Collin, you hate me. And why would you even want to go to a school dance anyways?"

"So I can flirt with all of your under-aged friends, obviously."

"I'm being serious," I informed him impatiently.

"Hey, just because we've had some disagreements in the past doesn't mean we don't get along. Don't you think we're friends?"

I thought about that for a second. _Was _Collin my friend? He'd played along with me and not freaked out when I kissed him in truth or dare, he seemed to have at least some genuine concern for me, but wasn't that really just his concern for Brady? How could we be friends if I was ruining his best friend's life? And still… and still I didn't _hate _having him around. I trusted him, even. _That _was a slightly terrifying idea.

"Yeah, we _are_ friends. It's not that I don't think we'd have fun, I just don't feel like going to the dance. And then Camille would probably ask a _million _questions and—"

"Well fuck Camille. And you're making excuses. Just say you'll go or you're getting 'the pout,'" Collin warned, jutting out his lower lip and batting his lashes innocently.

"Fine, I'll go, but only if you stop looking at me like that."

Collin smiled triumphantly, "I knew the flowers would win you over. Girls love shit like that."

"Shut up," I hit him lightly on my arm.

"Hey, give me _some_ credit, at least I didn't sneak through your window again. I know you hate that."

"Well aren't you a considerate friend."

"You have no idea," Collin mumbled in response.

* * *

><p><em>Embry<em>

"Embry, I'm trying to study," Lilly whined, slapping my hand away. It was a decently warm and rarely sunny Sunday afternoon and Lilly and I were sprawled out on a blanket in her backyard. Lilly leaned against a barren tree with a textbook balancing on her knees. I had been just sitting there and watching her study in awe—I'd nearly forgotten how beautifully her hair glows in the sunlight—when I'd scooped the book off of her lap and tossed it across the blanket.

"It's time for lunch. All this studying will do you no good if you drop dead from malnourishment in the middle of your exams."

"I hate it when you're right," she sighed, pushing off of the ground.

"Wow, you and Eliza are becoming more alike every day. What's next? Breaking boys' hearts?"

She elbowed me lightly, but didn't argue. There was no denying Eliza's heartbreaking abilities.

When we found our way into the kitchen, Lilly's mom, Joanna, was already putting grilled cheese sandwiches onto plates. "How did you know?" I laughed. Joanna turned in our direction and smiled.

It was obvious where Lilly had gotten her looks from. Joanna was a very beautiful women, with striking blue-green eyes and long curly blonde hair just a few shades darker than Lilly's, she had an old-Hollywood kind of glamour. This ended up being very fortunate for her, considering that before she had Lilly she was an aspiring actress living in California. Joanna was a young mom, only three years older than my true age, and I knew she still had regrets about where she'd ended up. I couldn't bring myself to pity her, though, not when the loss of her dreams brought Lilly to me.

"I was just about to bring these out to you two. You're always hungry, Embry. Sometimes I think I'll come home and find the refrigerator completely bare." She laughed.

"Nah, I'd never do that to you," I assured her, taking the plates from her and thanking her with a warm smile. Lilly opened the fridge and pulled out our drinks—a water for her and a Coke for me—and placed them on the table.

"Okay, well, I'm going to get coffee with Tasha,"—Tasha was her sister—"I'll be back later."

"See ya, mom," Lilly said before taking the first bite of her sandwich.

"Is one sandwich enough for you?" I asked, worried that she'd starve.

"Not all of us can eat four grilled-cheese sandwiches, Embry," Lilly teased.

Lighthearted conversation carried on through our entire meal, much to my joy. Lilly time was the highlight of every day. We were laughing about this one kid she babysat for the previous week who'd tried to put the moves on her—he was eight, so I didn't get too defensive—when I noticed something on her face change. It started with my comment "Good for you, keeping the hordes of admiring boys off" when her jaw suddenly stiffened. Her shoulders went rigid. Something swam beneath the blue pools of her eyes. Something that almost resembled shame. Her lips were pressed into a tight, thin line.

"You alright?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow and trying not to jump to conclusions.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lilly dismissed, trying to smile.

"You don't really think you can lie to me, do you?" I meant for it to sound playful, but it came out sounding much more serious.

"I'm not lying. I'm… I'm great actually. I'm just... worried."

"About your exams?" I asked.

She shrugged.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Well, I guess there is this one thing that I kinda wanted to talk to you about…" She murmured, wringing her fingers.

"Spill it, I'm here for you."

"Um, so… do you remember Travis from Eliza's birthday party?"

"Yeah…" I told her, not liking where things were going. Why was she bringing him up?

"Well he and I have kind of been seeing each other lately. Like, as more than friends."

I thought I was going to phase right there in the mother fucking kitchen. It was all I could do to not flip the table over, so smiling and pretending to be happy for her _definitely _was not an option.

_My Lilly. Mine. Mine. Mine. Not anyone else's Lilly. Mine. Not a Newton's. Mine._ It didn't fucking matter that she was only fourteen… that I was sixteen years older than her… at that moment I almost pulled her into my arms and showed her who she belonged to. I had to suppress the urge to kiss her until she couldn't remember how oxygen felt flowing through her lungs. Not only would that probably confuse the hell out of her, but she was still not ready to know that about me yet. If I told her now, if I showed her now, she was way more likely to run off. Lilly wasn't ready for that kind of relationship with me yet...

But that didn't mean she was fucking available for other mere mortals to enjoy in the meantime! Hell no. I knew exactly how Quil felt about Mason now. Another guy actively pursuing my imprint was simply unacceptable. This Travis fellow would just have to die. The Newton family had enough boys, would they really miss _him?_

_You're not going to kill a fourteen year old boy, Embry. No matter how much you hate him, _the Voice of Reason whispered in my ear. _Plus, Lilly would never forgive you._

But it was _so _tempting…

"Uh, Embry? You haven't said anything," Lilly informed me nervously. How long had it been since my world had crashed around me? Seconds? Minutes? It felt like years.

"How long is lately?" I finally asked, surprised I managed to speak normally and not through my teeth. Though it was a little _too_ sharp to be casual.

"Since Thanksgiving. He's a really nice guy, I promise. He's picking me up here next weekend before the dance if you want to come say hi."

She'd been dating this guy for three weeks? Had he kissed her? Fuck, of course he had. I mean, look at her, what guy wouldn't? Worse—he was taking her to the school dance this weekend. Lilly would be as gorgeous as ever, obviously, and that little shithead would be panting after her and holding her close during every slow dance. Come say hi? Yeah right! If I got within fifty feet of the little woman stealer I was going to beat the shit out of him.

"As fun as that sounds, I think I'll have to pass," I answered bitterly.

"You sound upset," Lilly noticed.

_Of course I'm upset. I'm in love with you. _

"You decided to have a boyfriend for three weeks before telling me. I thought we were best friends." Like that actually mattered. I'd been keeping the mother of all secrets from her for five years.

"Well I didn't want to tell you until it was official, and now it is."

I couldn't be here anymore. I needed to smash something, and I didn't think Joanna would be very pleased coming home to a broken kitchen. "I have to go," I mumbled.

"Wait! But you promised to help me study," Lilly frowned, looking genuinely distressed. Why was she upset? It's not like she needed me around when she could just call her precious little boyfriend.

"Ask Travis to help you, he _is _your boyfriend, right?" I sneered, pushing back from the table and storming out of the house.

Maybe Lilly really _had_ turned into Eliza, heartbreaks and all…

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

Claire insisted that Mason and I apologize to each other. In a normal situation, I would have laughed in her face. But coming off of a fight, I had of course done as she asked. Mason apparently hadn't liked being shoved out of windows all too much, because he had laid off on annoying me so much in the past weeks. Well, somewhat… He didn't leave, though. Like me, Mason was becoming a permanent fixture in the Young house.

Let me tell you, it is awfully hard to make out with your girlfriend when your enemy is sitting on the loveseat next to you making a face. "Why don't you go take a walk or something, Mason?" I huffed.

"Why? Am I interrupting something?" He asked, inclining an eyebrow.

"Claire, please make him leave," I mumbled.

Claire sighed. "Guys, we have bigger things going on here. You're like an old married couple. Can't you go twenty minutes without bickering?"

"Maybe… if he'd leave for twenty minutes," I suggested.

"You're impossible," Claire sighed, kissing me playfully on the lips. I grinned like a stupid horny teenage boy—which I may as well have been—and pulled her into me, deepening the kiss at the same time. Across the room, Mason made a disgusted sound.

I tore away from the kiss, "If you're not okay with this, feel free to leave."

"Maybe you could take a break, Mason… for a little while," Claire said hesitantly. "You know, go stretch your legs or something."

_Yes! Victory!_ I tried not to smile even wider with petty triumph, but I couldn't. Claire may have been a little friendlier with Mason than I liked, but she was still mine.

Mason let out an aggravated breath and stood up from the cushiony chair. "Fine, I'm gonna run home for a while. Be back later so we can study, okay Claire?" He told her, ignoring me.

"Buh-bye," I waved cheerily as he left. The second the door shut behind him I flipped Claire down into the coach cushions and met her lips with mine in an excited frenzy. Claire sighed happily against my lips as her arms locked around my neck. Our bodies rubbed together intoxicatingly, and I cursed the fact that Anthony was just down the hall in his office. Despite mine and Claire's re-strengthened relationship, I still hadn't been intimate with her in months. It was torturous.

But I couldn't very well fuck her under her father's roof while he was here… And he rarely left… And because of the danger Claire was on house arrest… so I was screwed. (Or well… _not_ screwed. Ugh! You know what I'm getting at!)

As if sensing what I was thinking of, Claire tightened her grip on me and kissed me harder. My hands found their way into her hair and became tangled in it. If hair could be sexy, then Claire probably had the hottest hair I'd ever seen. It always flowed around her like the blackness of the ocean at midnight and ran halfway down her back. Well… Claire probably had the hottest _everything_ I'd ever seen.

I dragged my lips down to Claire's elegant neck, praising it with open mouthed kisses—much to Claire's pleasure. I was interrupted from the kissing by the always poorly timed ringing of my cell phone. I probably would have ignored it and continued kissing Claire… If it hadn't been my alpha who was calling me.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to mask the annoyance in my voice.

"Are you deaf?" Jacob growled. "I've been howling for the last five minutes. Get your ass over to the Cullen's… now. Edward encountered Lilah's ally."

"But Claire—" I started to protest.

"Nessie is on her way. She'll be there any minute. Claire will be safe with her. You have ten minutes to get here." He hung up.

I looked down at Claire with panicked eyes. "What is it?" She whispered.

"I'm not totally sure yet, but it's about the vampire that was in your room last month." Claire froze.

"So where are we going?"

"_I _am headed over to the Cullen house as soon as Nessie gets here. I'll be back as soon as possible, okay baby?" She nodded reluctantly and I kissed her urgently on the lips, relishing in her presence and swearing to myself once again that nothing would happen to her.

"If Jacob keeps getting his way I'm going to miss out on all the action," Nessie mumbled less than a minute later, walking into the living room. "By the way, haven't you guys heard of locking doors?"

"Because vampires will really be stopped by a locked door," I mumbled before thanking Nessie, kissing Claire one last time, and bolting out of the house.

I didn't slow down for anything as I raced toward the Cullen house. I have no idea how, but I made it to the Cullen's—or as Eliza called it, Vampie HQ— in record time.

"Well it's about time," Embry grumbled as I barreled through the door.

"I got here as fast as I could on short notice," I defended.

"Maybe if you spend less time making out with Claire and knew how to stay alert you wouldn't have had this problem," Mason said, sounding tenser than usual.

"Speaking of problems, anyone want to clue me in on what the hell is going on?" I requested irritably. Every moment I was away from Claire with these psychotic vamps on the loose was a danger to her.

Someone on the far side of the room cleared his throat. It was the broody blonde vampire—Jasper. I turned to him expectantly, ignoring the still all-too potent vampire stink pouring out of him. Vegetarians or not, vampires reeked. From the couch, Edward chuckled lightly, undoubtedly reading my thoughts. Nosey leech.

_Ooh, wait! Sorry! _I tacked on to the end of that thought. Edward nodded.

"Edward and I were way out in the mountains, hunting mountain lions when we came across a fresh scent. It was unfamiliar, and due to recent events Edward was… suspicious."

"We followed the trail for a few minutes at high speed. Apparently the other guy didn't know he was being tracked," Edward added, picking up the story. "Once I got within a couple mile radius of him, I heard his thoughts. He was panicked. Realized he was being followed."

"Did you kill him?" I interrupted.

Edward shook his head no. "Well what are we waiting for? We should be hunting the bastard down right now!"

"No," Jasper said, softly but firmly.

"No?" I yelled, "What do you mean _no_? He was in my girlfriend's room! That is grounds for slaughter!"

"Edward heard more," Jacob explained, "The vampire, what did you say the leech's name was?" He turned to Edward.

"Cyril."

"Well he was thinking how he has to get back to Canada, to warn Lilah. She's somewhere in northern British Columbia."

"So we've narrowed down her whereabouts to a province. Great. Why didn't you guys just capture the no-good bloodsucker and torture him for coordinates or something?"

"Because his trail will lead us straight to her," Seth piped up. "We're leaving in the morning to track her down!"

"And this time these fools decided that I'm tough enough to go," Annie added from her position on Seth's lap. He stroked her hair lightly.

The good news: The murderous bitch who was for some reason targeting Claire was in another country and we were being led straight to her. We outnumbered her and her companion ten to one.

The bad news: To reach her, I'd have to leave Claire alone. Unsupervised. Defenseless.

"So we're all going?" I asked, trying to mask my anxiety.

"God no, that would be a horrible idea. Leave La Push unguarded? Yeah right. Four of us are staying behind," Danny explained.

"Who?"

"I hope you don't mind, Quil. But we kind of nominated you. Figured that as much as you want to be the one to kill the leech, you'd probably feel safer if you could watch over Claire personally. Then Danny and Collin are also staying behind because apparently they have to go to the Forks High School dance," Leah teased. "Hope you boys got your suits."

"And the fourth?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Come on Chester, you think I trust you to protect Claire?" Mason rolled his eyes.

I narrowed mine. Of course Mason was staying. Just my fucking luck. "Peachy. Just peachy."

"You know, maybe four wolves isn't enough," Collin speculated. "Maybe we should hold back one more, just in case. What's the harm? The Cullens are all going anyway, we already have the numbers."

Jacob tried to hide a smirk. What was going on? "Yeah, you're right, Collin. Maybe one more person s_hould _stay. Like, someone who has a close connection with the sister of Claire. You know, since Claire's life _is _being threatened."

All at once, everyone in the room turned to smile at Brady. Brady stood up defiantly. "Now wait a minute! I see where this is going. No way! No way am I staying back here! I see what you guys are all doing, and I say no."

"Fine, I guess it's her funeral," Embry shrugged. "You know, if something goes wrong."

"Collin isn't incompetent. Either is Danny. Or Mason. Or Quil," Brady reminded through his teeth.

"Fine, then watch Lilly. I'm third, I can't stay behind. Lilly trusts you. Protect Lilly. You would do that for me, right?" Embry questioned, inclining an eyebrow.

Brady growled and clenched his fists. "Fine! Fine! Whatever. I'll stay behind. Ignore the fact that I'm one of the best offensive players. Sideline Brady so maybe he can get a chance to see the girl he's pathetically in love with. Ugh, I hate all of you!" He stormed out.

"Ignore him," Collin suggested, "He's on his man period."

I did ignore him. I had way more important things going on than Brady's doomed romance with Eliza. Soon, all of this drama would be over. Soon, Claire would be safe. Soon, we could get our lives back.

I could almost smell Lilah's burning body now, roasting in a bonfire.

* * *

><p>…<p>

Cyril stood in front of the pale blue house for a moment, still chuckling at the irony of its color. Blue, like her hair. Fitting.

He then scolded himself for pausing and admiring what had become his boss's home base for the last few months. Any minute now she'd be arriving, hopefully having taken care of the last few… loose ends at the other place.

Moments later there was a gentle shift in the air beside him and she appeared, like some strange punk rock doll. Vampirism had made her look both fierce and fragile—the pale skin and youthful face that was probably only fifteen or so clashing noticeably with her vivid blue hair and ruby eyes. The same eyes he had. And that hadn't been the only thing that Lilah had changed about him. He, too was fearsome and wild looking now. Strange, spiked clothing adorned his skin and his hair had been changed to a loud green. According to Lilah, "If you aren't a human, why try and look like one?"

"Did you take care of it?" Cyril questioned, following his boss into the house (The previous owners had taken a permanent vacation). "You know, the wi—"

"You still doubt me, Cyril?" He couldn't see her face, but it sounded like she was pouting, "I'm offended."

"Well, that one seemed like a fighter, I wasn't sure how easily she'd go down."

Lilah stopped short, turning to glare at him with her blood-red eyes, "No one can get the best of me, Cyril! Challenge that and I'll prove it to you."

"I would never challenge you boss," he submitted, bowing his head.

"Good boy," she smirked. "And I'm assuming you did what I requested? Because surely you wouldn't be here if you failed me."

"I did exactly as you instructed, they should be coming for you any day now," he informed her, a cruel smile working its way across his face.

If Cyril's smile was cruel, Lilah's was the mad grin of the devil himself.

"Excellent."


	53. Winter Formal

**Author's Note: AHHHHH! New update! Finally! Sorry for the wait guys, but I have good news! The climax of the story is right under our noses. Hopefully this means I'll be more motivated to crank out the last couple of chapters! This chapter is going to be entirely the Eliza/Brady portion of the story, just a warning. The next chapter is going to be more Quil-and-Claire-centric. I love you guys sososo much! I now present to you, ch. 53.**

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

"Okay class, I'll see you in the new year. Before the bell rings I'd like to remind you—" The bell rang, effectively cutting off Mr. Burns, my history teacher, in the middle of his "have a safe holidays" speech. Before he could say another word, the entire class poured out of the room, chattering excitedly. Exams were now officially finished and we could all relax, enjoy the dance, and have two weeks off from school. Personally, I wasn't feeling the Christmas Spirit.

I met Lilly at the door of the classroom, "So what did you put for number fifty four? Cause I was going to put Rome but then I changed my answer to Greece at the last second," I babbled.

Lilly looked horrified, "The guys are out there risking their lives hunting crazy you-know-whats and all you can think about is how you did on your _history mid-term_?"

"Well yeah, I'm sitting with a flat ninety in that class and if I just bombed my exam I'm going to get a B. You couldn't get a B if you got a negative score on that test!"

Lilly rolled her eyes. "They could die. Embry and Jacob and all of them are risking their lives!"

Embry. Embry. Embry. It didn't matter that she was dating Travis, not really. It seemed Embry was still her priority twenty-four hours of the day. Not like I could really talk. Maybe I would have felt less worried about my mid-terms if I'd spent more time studying and less time day-dreaming about a world where Brady and I could work.

"It's their jobs, Lilly. They're professionals. They took down the rest of her coven, what's one more? Against all of them?" That was code for: I probably would be just as panicked as you if Brady was out there risking his life but he's safe at home right now, so I'm okay. _As long as he is safe, I am okay._

"Whatever, what time is Collin picking you up for the dance tomorrow?"

"Eight. How are you and Travis getting there?" I asked, even though I couldn't possibly care less.

"His brother Jason's a senior, we're riding with him and his date." _Poor thing, stuck in a car with two Newton boys._ Not like I had any room to say something, but if Embry didn't make a move pretty soon I was going to have to do something myself. _Lilly isn't the only one who can meddle in someone's love life. _

"Cool, so I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night," Lilly smiled, turning and heading the other direction to where Travis and Marco's class had let out.

Tomorrow night. I'd have to dance with Collin and spend the entire evening thinking of his best friend, his other half, sitting at home, probably as messed up as I was.

Love really fucking sucks.

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

Love really fucking sucks.

Yup, that about sums things up.

Why did everyone say that love was such a wonderful thing when all it did was make every day of my life more complicated? When it made me feel like I couldn't breathe every moment I wasn't near her? When I was forced to smile and act normal while a horrible ache tore through my chest?

Like this week, for instance. Hunting down the vampire would have been a pleasant distraction from all of my Eliza drama, but was I able to go? No. The pack didn't want to deal with their depressed brother moping about a fifteen year old girl who didn't love him. They wanted me to stay back and look after her. Who knows? Maybe they thought I was too depressed to be useful in a fight. Maybe they knew that even though she wouldn't let me near her, I couldn't bear to leave her here alone. Either way, it sucked.

Because as a result of me staying behind, I'd have to watch my best friend walk out of our house in a suit to go pick up the girl I loved for their date. Their _date_.

_Fuck my life. _

Seven o'clock Saturday night I was sprawled across the couch in the living room, pretending to be watching the TV, when Collin walked in wearing shorts and carrying a suit.

"Shouldn't you be putting that on, soon?" I asked, trying to maintain a level of casualness in my voice.

"It's not mine," Collin informed me, dropping it on the arm of my couch.

I didn't understand. It was _my _suit he'd dropped on the couch."You're wearing my suit from my sister's wedding last year? Don't you have your own?" My eyebrows drew together.

"I'm not wearing it," he said matter-of-factly, smirking. "You are."

I whipped my head towards him, "What did you say?" I demanded.

"I think I was wrong before. Five wolves here really is more than we need, so I'm going up there to help with the hunt. Jake thinks they're getting pretty close to finding her. I'm leaving to go catch up to them in like fifteen minutes."

"What? You can't just leave, you're taking Eliza to the dance! You can't abandon her like that, you're her friend." I reprimanded him.

"Which is exactly why I'm not abandoning her. You're going to take her instead," his smirk transformed to a shameless devilish grin. My stomach twisted painfully. No, no there was no way he was fucking serious.

I swore I almost broke his nose. "You bastard! You've been planning this all along, haven't you?" I yelled, "What have I told you about meddling in my love life? Eliza doesn't want to be with me, okay? Give it a rest!"

"Of course I've been planning this all along, it's me we're talking about. I know _you _can't see it, but I think you really were getting through to Eliza before. She's changed, man. I can't begin to understand it, but she's different now. She's like an actual human being."

_ She's always been a human, dipshit, _I wanted to shout at him.

"Then maybe _you _should date her. She's not interested in me, man. Give it up already. You think five is too much? Fine, I'll go after Lilah. You take Eliza to that dance. She doesn't want to see _me_."

"On the contrary, I think she wants to see you very much. I think she misses you just as much as you miss her. You haven't seen her lately. She looks… empty."

The very idea that Eliza missed me was ridiculous. Collin was delusional if he thought that Eliza actually cared for me. I know I'd once believed she did… but that felt like another lifetime ago. I'd told her how special she was, kissed her, took her out on a date, turned up the charm, and got nothing.

But still… she looked empty? Was something wrong with her? Was she upset about something? It was unsettling to know something was going on with her that was potentially causing her pain. Eliza had suffered enough pain in her life, with a dead mother, a flighty father, a douche bag ex, and birth parents she knew nothing about. I didn't like the idea of her experiencing any more pain.

"You're crazy," I informed him.

"I'm crazy? You're the one who fell for her in the first place. Dude, if you don't make a move soon you're going to turn into Embry, the stalker so petrified of the girl he loves rejecting him that he loses her to someone else. You don't want to lose her, do you?"

"She's never been mine," I mumbled.

"Then put that fucking suit on and change that, you're picking her up in less than an hour."

"I hate you." I grumbled, snatching the black suit off of the armrest and retreating to my room to get dressed.

Eliza was going to be furious. She'd probably slam the door in my face, screaming at me to leave her alone and go home. But even if that was what happened, seeing her face for just those few seconds and hearing her voice would be worth it.

Maybe.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

Saturday night at seven fifty-eight I was standing in front of the mirror in the front hallway. Emily had come over earlier and put my hair up in a low chignon bun, leaving some loose curls to frame my face. My makeup was done carefully and flawlessly and my dress was perfect.

It was time for the Forks High School Winter Formal.

When I was younger I'd always dreamed about going to the Winter Formal. I imagined dancing around the floor wearing a long elegant dress much like the one I was wearing tonight. I'd never imagined that the man leading me across the floor would be Collin Littlesea.

I sighed and applied more lip gloss. I had the house to myself right now, with Claire and Quil picking up food in Forks and my father at his company's holiday party. The silence was a blessing and a curse. Alone, I didn't have to fake a smile and pretend that everything was okay. But there was also nothing to distract me from my own thoughts.

The doorbell rang.

_Speaking of distractions… _"Coming!" I called, grabbing my small bag off of the dining room table before opening the door to let Collin in.

Except, when I opened the door, it wasn't Collin.

It was Brady. In a suit. With a nervous smile on his face.

_No no no no no no no. This isn't happening._

Without thinking, I tried to slam the door shut so I could escape upstairs and hyperventilate. Brady stuck his foot in the door, effectively stopping me.

"I didn't plan this you know," he said seriously, not letting me shut the door, but not forcing it all the way open either.

I believed him, but that didn't mean someone else hadn't. "Fucking Collin. He's going to pay for this. Where is he?" It was strange to talk to Brady after all this time. It was like a weight had been lifted off of my chest and a whole new one had been dropped on it. My hands were shaking with nervous energy.

"Half way to Canada. You'll have to hold off on murdering him until they catch the leech."

"That monkey-faced bastard."

"Tell me about it."

There was an awkward silence. I peeked out of the small opening in the door. Brady was on the other side, looking more handsome than any time I could remember. My stomach twisted into a huge knot. What was I going to do?

"Look, I understand that you don't want to see me anymore. You kept good on your side of the deal, so I need to keep good on mine. If you want me to leave, I can. You don't have to go to the dance if you don't want to. Though it would be a shame for you to get all dressed up and then not go anywhere."

_Don't do it, _I warned myself, _This isn't a smart idea. _

_But I love him, I miss him, I need to be around him, _the silly lovesick girl inside of me thought.

_But you shouldn't be. You're supposed to be getting over him, remember? It's for his own good!_

I should have accepted his offer and made him leave. I should have called up Sam or Emily for a ride to the dance instead, I should have been strong and done the right thing.

I'm not that strong. Not after all these weeks of not seeing him. I was too giddy by his presence to focus.

I swung the door open. "Well I guess we can go. As friends. We're friends, kind of. Right?"

Brady smiled bigger than I'd seen in months. "Awesome! I mean, cool. I mean, yeah. We're friends. Let's get going." He held out an arm to me and I linked mine with his, shutting the door behind me and locking it before going with Brady over to where his vehicle was parked.

"Since we're just friends, I'm going to remind you that there is to be no funny business. I mean it. Try and kiss me like you did a few weeks ago and I'm leaving. Got it?"

"Got it. And Angel, as a friend, you look beautiful."

I hoped the sky was already dark enough that he didn't notice my face redden. "Thanks," I said, hoping my voice didn't quiver. "But what did I say about calling me Angel?" He laughed. I was all-too aware of how close we were and the heat radiating off of his skin may as well have been fire.

Thanks? That was my smart reply? _Idiot, idiot. _I chided myself. The old Eliza would have had some sort of witty remark all lined up and delivered it with grace. But whether I liked it or not, that girl was gone. And I had no idea how to get her back.

If I was going to continue being so stupid and giggly for the entire dance it was going to be a long, long, night.

At that time… I had no idea just how long it would end up being.

* * *

><p><em>Brady<em>

I was amazed that I arrived at the high school without a single car accident, considering I hadn't looked at the road for ninety five percent of the drive. It was impossible to look away from Eliza. Weeks away from her and my eyes were drinking up all that they could. Collin had warned me before he left that she almost looked sickly. That sure as hell wasn't the case tonight. She was more beautiful than I'd ever seen her, wearing a girly dark pink dress that flowed all the way to the ground with her light blonde hair in an elegant twist thingy, not pin-straight like I had grown accustomed to over the past few months. Staring at her was like staring into the sun, radiant and blinding. Most of all, I was transfixed my her gloss-coated lips. They looked delicious and kissable and irresistible.

I couldn't kiss her though. She had made that painfully clear. I wondered idly as I parked the car if I could actually manage that. Asking me not to kiss her would be like asking me not to breathe, asking me not to blink, asking my heart not to beat.

Could I even make it twenty minutes without attacking her lips? Maybe I could have before, but after weeks of being away from her I doubted it.

Yeah, I was screwed.

I hopped out of the car and went around to open her door out of habit and noticed her shiver. "Cold?" I asked with concern. Apparently Eliza had decided she didn't need a jacket because she wouldn't be outside for more than a minute anyway. I mentally slapped myself for not forcing her to bring a jacket. Now if she got sick it would be on my hands…

"Well, it's like forty degrees and the sun is gone, yeah I guess you could say I'm cold. It's fine, it'll be warm inside," she chattered without her usual snippy attitude as we headed toward the doors to the school. I followed at her ankles like a puppy desperately attached to their owner. The guys weren't exaggerating, I _was _the epitome of whipped. Eliza owned me. I was hers for the taking.

"You still should have brought something to stay warm," I muttered.

Eliza rolled her eyes at me. "I can't wear a winter coat over a formal dress, that would look stupid. I'd rather be frostbitten."

_Girls, I'll never understand them._

I pulled her into my side and rubbed her goose bump-covered arm with my heated hand while letting my body heat alone warm her other one.

"What are you doing?" She asked agitatedly.

"Friends don't let friends freeze," I informed her as we stepped through the double doors of the school. Saying the word friends both elated me and pierced me through the chest. It was so much more than I expected we could be a few weeks ago, but still not nearly as much as I wanted us to be.

Once we were away from the cold doors and the heating vents reached our skin, Eliza shrugged me off, muttering a half-hearted thanks.

"My pleasure," I told her. She looked at me strangely, and I mentally slapped myself. _Idiot, you should have just said you're welcome. Stop creeping her out!_

Instead of saying anything else that would make me sound like a creepy stalker, I let my eyes wander as we followed clusters of high school students down the hall to the gym. I'd only ever been to Forks High School once, before they tore it down and rebuilt it. It was junior year, two years after I'd phased, when the high school had hosted some school carnival fundraiser that basically everyone in the area attended. I went to make out with girls and sneak alcohol behind the school. It had been a successful occasion.

Now the school—as well as the circumstances—were wildly different. The high school wasn't extravagant or anything, but at least it wasn't eighty years old. It was a hell of a lot nicer than the Valley School on the rez, which catered to all of the natives in the area.

Music was blasting all the way down the hall. Or at least, it was blasting in my ultra-sensitive ears. Eliza tensed as we approached the gym and I had to fight the urge to take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze even though I had no idea what she could be nervous about. She was especially radiant tonight and I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one totally hypnotized by her. I honestly had no idea how she could still be self-conscious when she was so fucking beautiful.

The inside of the gym looked like it had been hit by a sparkly snow storm. Every inch of the floor was sprinkled with powdery white stuff that was probably was supposed to be snow but looked more to me like a mess I'd have to clean off of my shoes later. There were no big lights on, but every surface of the room that couldn't be stepped on was decorated with icicle Christmas lights. The tables were adorned with white tablecloths and the punch bowl looked like it was made out of ice. By Forks standards, the gym looked pretty swanky.

Mostly everyone there was out on the dance floor, mingling while the DJ was switching playlists on his laptop. I spotted Danny easily as one of the tallest people in the room. Next to him, Gaby looked like a doll. A small Spanish doll in a sexy tight purple floor-length dress. Beside her, Danny was smiling like a thirteen year old boy who'd just discovered porn. Neither of them noticed us.

_Yeah, when he chases after teenage girls it's perfectly fine. When I do it I'm some deranged pedophile. _

A perky caramel-haired appeared in front of me suddenly, blocking my view of Danny and Gaby. She looked up at me momentarily and chewed on her lip. I'm sure it was supposed to be sexy, but Eliza was the only girl here who caught my eye. The girl turned to Eliza and gave the fakest smile I'd ever seen. "Hey, it's Eliza, right?"

"Yeah. What's up Adele?" I could tell Eliza didn't like her by the way she was looking at her. The Adele girl looked to be a few years older, and by the way her tight red mermaid-style dress clung to her curvy figure I could imagine many girls didn't like her either.

"Oh, nothing, my friends and I," she motioned gracefully at a group of girls in equally tight dresses, "Were just wondering who your friend here is," she looked back at me and winked.

"Taken," Eliza answered with a calm but possessive fierceness, "That's who he is." She intertwined her fingers with mine. "Come on Brady, let's go dance."

"Sure," I grinned, letting her drag me away without looking back at the Adele girl, who I'm sure wasn't accustomed to being showed up by freshmen.

"Taken? What was that about?" I shouted over the music as Eliza led me across the gym.

She stopped walking and turned back to me. "You've got to be careful around here," she said in her regular speaking volume, knowing I could hear her perfectly, "The girls around here will tear you to pieces if you aren't careful."

_Too late for that._ I thought to myself.

"So what you're saying is, I'm too sexy for my own good?" Eliza's face reddened slightly.

"Not at all, I just don't think these Forks girls are used to… your species." She explained, maybe a little too defensively.

"You mean extremely attractive men?"

"I mean extremely arrogant men," Eliza corrected. I laughed and pulled her closer to me.

"Well unfortunately for these girls, I'm taken, remember?"

She shoved away from me. "I had to say something to get them to leave you alone. Obviously we're just friends."

"Well we better not let the other girls know that," I chuckled into her ear, pulling her back into my arm and leading her to where everyone was dancing.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

It was hard to maintain composure while Brady was so close. His skin wasn't just hot, it was like an electric current ran through it and anywhere that it touched me tingled, even though he wore a suit jacket and shirt. I wanted to melt into him, to become a part of him so irremovable that no girl would dare come near him for the rest of the night. It didn't matter that I knew I shouldn't want Brady, that I couldn't have Brady… that didn't mean any of the girls in this corner of hell were any more deserving of him. Especially not Beauty Queen cheerleading captains like Adele or Queen Bees in the making like Camille.

_ Ugh, Camille. _I didn't even want to _think_ about what would happen when she found out who I was here with. Not like I cared about what she thought, but tonight was already difficult enough, I didn't have time to deal with my friend turned enemy, too.

I hadn't seen her yet, and she hadn't seen me, but it seemed like the rest of the fucking student body had. After a while we stopped dancing and went to sit with Marco and Jasmine, which was slightly less awful than being up on display for everyone to whisper about. Travis and Lilly stopped by to chat for a minute or two, but then Travis dragged Lilly off to dance. I had to admit that she and Travis were cute together, but I didn't think that Lilly was quite as enthused about the relationship as Travis was. Whether or not Lilly had feelings for Embry—which she had never mentioned to me—she couldn't completely give herself to someone who wasn't him. I just wondered how long she would string Travis along for before she realized what she really wanted.

Why couldn't Lilly and I just talk to each other about our boy troubles like normal best friends? What had happened to us?

"So, everyone is talking about you two, you know that right?" Marco hollered across the table where we were sitting. A glowing Jasmine sat beside him, her chair pulled as close to his as physically possible.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Marco to death, but at that moment I could have punched him repeatedly until he saw stars. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I tried to play dumb. Unfortunately, someone as secretly smart as Marco saw right through it.

"So I'm guessing you haven't seen the Wicked Witch of the West Coast yet?" He chuckled.

"Have you?" I asked, not bothering to wonder who he meant. There was no doubt.

He shrugged. "She's here with some upperclassmen. I may have seen her once or twice. She's probably heard you two are dating by now so I'd brace myself if I were you."

"We're not dating," I yelled. "And neither were Brady and Camille."

Marco suppressed a smile. "Just saying… Brace yourselves."

"Come on Marco, I want to dance!" Jasmine decided.

"Oh, I do a _mean _Running Man," Marco bragged.

"Please don't," Jasmine told him as he led her off to the dance floor, leaving Brady and I alone.

"Welcome back to high school," I sighed, looking sideways at Brady. How was he _still_ sexy when I only looked at him from the corner of my eye? This was just getting ridiculous.

"I'd say it's good to be back but…" he laughed.

"You're the one who wanted to come," I reminded him.

"Is that how you remember it?" Brady teased.

I opened my mouth to reply with some form of a witty remark when Jason Newton of all people sat down beside us. Well sat wasn't exactly the right word—he actually fell. "It's Seth, right?" He asked, giving Brady the once-over. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol. Senior boys were notorious for getting drunk at school functions.

"Brady," Brady corrected.

"Nolan's friends all look the same to me," Jason shrugged. "Speaking of Nolan, aren't you a little old to be here with a fourteen year old girl?"

"I'm fifteen," I interrupted. "Why do _you_ care?"

"And I'm not that old," Brady answered vaguely. The age game was a delicate one when it came to the pack. Especially with people like the Newtons, who had unknowingly married into a family of shapeshifters.

"Aren't you supposed to be here with my brother?" Jason asked drunkenly.

"You're thinking of Lilly, my best friend. I'm Eliza."

"Oh yeah, fuck. I'm waaaaaasted."

"I noticed," I replied curtly. "Come on Brady, let's go get some punch."

Brady nodded and helped me up, guiding me away from a very drunk Jason to the refreshments table. I'd have to talk to Brady later about giving Lilly and Travis a ride home, because I sure as hell didn't trust Jason to get them home safely. "So who spiked the punch?" I laughed.

Brady sniffed the air. "No one, he must have just added a little something to his own glass."

"Your whole super-human senses thing is actually _really _fucking weird." I informed him. He smiled brilliantly.

"I try."

"Look at the happy couple," a familiar and snakelike voice sneered from behind us.

I ground my teeth together and cleared my face of all expression. "Hi Camille, you want some punch?"

She ignored my question. "You know, _Liza,_ it's funny. I always knew you were jealous of me, I mean obviously, but I didn't realize until just recently that you were _this_ desperate to be like me."

"Excuse me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her and stepping away from Brady. She was taller than me, like always, but I didn't let that stop me from getting right in her face. Screw nervous, I was livid.

"You act so innocent too. 'Oh I don't like Brady. Not at all. He's creepy, take him. He's all yours,'" she mocked in a high-pitched whiny voice that sounded absolutely nothing like me. "Yeah right. The second he takes interest in _me _instead of you, you were basically drooling all over him. Then I got tired of him and didn't call him after our date you decided to jump on him. What a loser."

"Excuse me, it was _me_ who didn't call _you_, Miss Crazy," Brady inputted.

"Stay out of this Brady!" I ordered. Him defending me would only give Camille more ammo.

"Yeah Brady," Camille teased, "Let your loser girlfriend stand up for herself. If she actually knows how, that is. Did you finally find a backbone, Eliza? Or are you going to keep hiding all of your loser emotions inside and pretending like nothing bothers you? I see right through you, and I've seen right through you from the start! You want to date Brady? Fine. I had chicken for dinner tonight, would you like those leftovers, too?"

"News flash Camille, Brady was never interested in you. At all. Understandable, since you're even crazy and all. And I'm not dating Brady, by the way. Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not jealous of you. I don't want to be you. No one wants to be you. You're a shallow bitch with no real friends except Gaby, and she only sticks around because _someone_ has to. So go stick your perky nose in someone else's business."

"Whore," Camille muttered, turning to leave.

My blood was boiling. "Camille?" I called, trying to maintain my calm voice.

"What?" She snapped, turning back around.

"Have some punch," I suggested, snatching a random cup off of the nearest table and splashing its contents on her chest and down the front of her sparkly silver gown. Her scream pierced the air.

"You bitch!" She shrieked.

People from all surrounding areas turned to stare at us. Camille's dress was most certainly ruined, and I didn't even feel bad for her. "Look what you did!" She cried.

"I am _so _sorry, Camille. I just tripped. I didn't mean to. It was an accident!" I apologized, filling my voice with just the right amount of fake panic to be convincing.

"You liar! I'm going to get you for this! You are _done _at this school. Done!" She jabbed a perfectly manicured finger at my chest.

"Accidents happen, Camille," I shrugged. Softer, for only her ears to hear I added, "In case it isn't completely clear, we aren't friends. Don't cross me again, kay?"

Her face turned a dark shade of red and she drew her hand back. For one wild moment, I thought she was going to hit me, and then Brady was there, standing between us. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Camille. By the way, I think you have a little something on your dress," he smirked.

I loved him. I loved him so much. "Come on Brady, let's go dance," I suggested, grabbing his muscle-corded arm and leading him away from a seething Camille.

"I can't believe I just did that," I breathed as we made our way onto the dance floor. It was a slow song. My heart thrummed wildly as Brady pulled me into his body and planted his hands somewhere between my waist and my hips. Somewhere between the friend zone and a more intimate relationship. It was a perfect representation of our relationship, caught in the middle. More than we should be to each other, but still not nearly enough. My heart and my head were once again at odds, but my body was dancing. Dancing with him.

"If you ask me, she deserved it. I really, _really_ don't like that girl," he scowled.

My face transformed to a mask of puzzlement. "If you don't like her then why did you kiss her? And then agree to go out with her?"

"Isn't it obvious, Angel?" He smiled down at me with that lady-killing grin of his, "I was trying to make you jealous. And it worked, too."

"Did it now?" I answered with fake interest.

"Oh yeah… I have you right where I want you," he replied in a low voice, his hands sliding slightly lower and pulling me closer.

My breath came out in a shutter, and Brady smirked. "You really do look beautiful tonight, Angel."

"You've got to stop calling me that," I informed him, rediscovering my voice.

"So I have a question of my own." My stomach dropped as I speculated about what it could be. "Collin told me there's nothing going on between you two, so why did you kiss him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked, inclining an eyebrow suggestively. "To get even."

His hands tightened on my hips and his fingers fanned out. His touch was deliciously good. My knees felt unstable for a moment, and I seriously thought I was going to fall into him like in some cliché movie, but I managed to resist. "I have one more question," he said, so softly I barely heard his voice above the music.

"What is it?" I asked, moving my hands from his shoulders to his biceps and back up to his shoulders without even meaning to. Touching him felt so amazing.

He tilted his head down so our foreheads touched and his lips were so close to mine that I felt the warmth of his breath on my face. "If I were to kiss you right now, what would you do?"

My body went to war with itself. _Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him goddammit! _

_ Run away! Run away now! Get the fuck out of here! _

Every moment I didn't answer I dug myself into an even deeper hole. One that I wasn't sure how to get out of. I tried to organize my thoughts, to think reasonably, to remember why I swore never to give my heart away.

Except… whether he knew it or not, my heart was already his. I'd promised myself I wouldn't let things get to this point. Then again, hadn't I also promised myself never to fall in love with Brady in the first place?

When twenty seconds came and went and I still hadn't said anything, Brady took my silence as a "go for it" and leaned down even further to capture my lips. The second they met alarms sounded off in my head and I realized what was happening. I pushed him away so hard and so fast he almost fell over.

"I—I—I can't do this. I'm sorry, I can't!" I choked out, suddenly overcome with a million and one different feelings tangling for dominance inside of me.

"Eliza I—"

"I need some air, excuse me," I muttered, unable to look at him. I was an idiot for coming to this dance with him. For letting myself be around him. Why did I think I could control myself around this boy? I couldn't be friends with him. It was impossible. If I really wanted Brady to get over me… If I wanted to get over him… I could never see him. Not even under friendly terms.

A painful lump that could only mean tears started crawling up my throat as I all but sprinted out of the gym in my heels. I shoved open the gym doors and nearly knocked a couple of girls over.

"Watch it!" One of them snapped. I ignored her and kept running. By the time I made it through the front doors of the school, the tears had started. I was a mess. I couldn't go back in there like this. How the hell was I going to get home?

A twig snapped off to the left and I jumped, turning to the noise. I wasn't alone. A distinctly female figure stood not too far away, but she was far enough away from the lights of the school that I couldn't quite recognize her.

_Oh great, an audience. That's all I need… someone asking—_

"Eliza, what happened?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooh, a (sort of) cliffhanger! I'm evil, I know. If you took all the time to read this chapter, can you spare another minute to leave me a review? It would be much appreciated! See you soon!<strong>


	54. On Robin-Hood Loop

**WARNING: This chapter is not flirty and fun. There are few jokes, no cute couple encounters, and no lighthearted moments. Oh, and expect a cliffhanger ending.**

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Dad was out. Eliza was out. Quil was over. Normally, this would be the recipe for sexy make-out time on the couch and a strip session in my bedroom. But sadly, tonight the only thing happening on the couch was a stare-down between Mason and Quil. Well… more of a glare-off, but still. It was awkward as hell.

"So, are you two having fun because I sure am," I sighed. Naturally, I was seated right in the middle of them, watching that show Embry was so obsessed with. The Simpsons or whatever. It was even more stupid without him around to watch it with me. Well, I wasn't paying close attention anyways.

"They better fucking kill that leech. The sooner your life isn't endangered the sooner I can kick his ass out the door," he sneered at Mason.

"Have you two ever tried getting along?" I scowled.

"Nope, and we probably never will," Mason informed me.

"The two of you are so infuriating!" I huffed, getting up from the Couch Of All Awkwardness.

"Where are you going?" Quil asked, starting to get up.

"I'm thirsty. Don't worry Quil, I think I can get a glass of water without being abducted by vampires." It disgusted me that I was able to joke so lightheartedly about my own life, but it was better than curling up in a ball and hyperventilating, so I didn't let myself get too bogged down.

I got a class from the cabinet and filled it up with ice cold fridge water, taking my sweet time. I wasn't ready to back in that room yet. Instead, I took my glass to the kitchen table and slipped it slowly.

Quil and Mason had become permanent fixtures in every second of every day of my life. Quil had called in sick to work all week and Mason had taken to sleeping in the forest outside my bedroom window. I wasn't even entirely sure Quil _did _sleep. I was concerned for his health and well-being, but he kept shrugging it off and insisting that he was okay as long as I was.

From what we'd heard from the rest of the pack, it sounded like they were closing in on Lilah. It was only a matter of time now until they caught her. Then maybe things would finally go back to normal.

Well, as normal as _my _life ever is.

From my pocket, my cell phone began to vibrate. I pulled it out and checked the screen. Eliza. Weird… wasn't she supposed to be at the dance with Brady? When Quil and I got back from dinner and Eliza was gone we'd assumed that she agreed to go with Brady in Collin's absence. So why was she calling?

"Hello?" I answered uncertainly. I'd expected to hear the loud thrumming of the base and hundreds of voices trying to talk over each other on the other end, but instead I heard something else. The last thing I had expected to hear during a phone call from Eliza. Crying.

"Eliza? What's wrong?" I asked, kicking into Big Sister Mode.

"Brady—" a sob "And the dance and—" another sob "I don't want t—to t—talk about it!" She was crying so hard I could barely understand her words through the phone.

"Is it something Brady did?" I asked concernedly.

"N-no it's m—my f—fault. C—can you come g—get me?"

"Are you still at the school?" I questioned.

"No, J-Jasmine. I ran into Jasmine and she b—brought me to her house. 920 Robin-Hood Loop."

"Okay, Liza, hang tight. We're on our way."

"Please don't b—bring Quil and Ma—Mason. I d—don't want them to see me cry." Her voice broke as the tears kept coming. I was disturbed to hear my little sister's voice so raw—so vulnerable.

"They won't judge you, Eliza."

"But they'll tell him! They'll t—tell Brady. And—And—" Whatever she said after that I couldn't make out through all of the tears.

"Shh, calm down, Liza. Calm down. I'll come and get you, okay?"

"Okay. Th—thanks Claire." The line went dead.

"What's going on?" Quil asked, strolling easily into the kitchen and leaning against the counter.

"I have to go pick up Eliza from Jasmine's house. She didn't really say what happened, but she sounded pretty hysterical."

"Okay, are we taking the Mustang?" He asked simply.

"About that. I know you're not going to like this, neither of you will, but Eliza doesn't want you to come. I guess whatever is going on has to do with Brady and since you guys all share the same brain space…"

He didn't even consider. "No Claire. You're not going alone. No way."

"Lilah is in another country and Collin ran a patrol before he left. No vampire stink in the forest anywhere even close to here. I think I can make it to Jasmine's and back just fine."

Mason stormed into the kitchen. "Absolutely not. Why take stupid risks? Don't even leave with us. Either Quil or I can go get Eliza and the two of you can talk about it when she gets here."

I should have known this would happen. The problem with Mason and Quil was that they both had tunnel vision. Anything that didn't directly concern my safety didn't matter to them. Eliza's inner turmoil didn't matter to them. But she was my little sister, and it was my duty to look out for her. Neither of them had younger siblings. They could never understand. "She's my sister. Not yours. Not Quil's. And anywhere we are with you two around you would be able to hear. Let me go get her. She needs me. I don't know what's wrong with her, but I've never heard her so upset. I know that my safety matters to you, but her happiness matters to me. Eliza has been through so much and she needs me, so I'm going to go get her. I know you probably think I'm too helpless and human to drive one town over to get her. But I'm not. Let me do this. Please."

Mason didn't budge. "No. I'm sorry."

I turned to Quil, letting my eyes reflect all of my emotions. "Please Quil. Please baby let me just go get my sister. I can do this for myself. Nothing is going to happen. Just please do this for me." I know I was being manipulative, and I kind of hated myself for it… but when you wielded that much power over someone it was hard not to take advantage of it sometimes. Sue me, I'm only human!

With a bat of my lashes and a hand on his cheek he caved. "If you're not back in forty five minutes we're going after you. I need the address of Jasmine's house and you better call me when you get there. Go there and come straight back, do you hear me, Claire?"

"What are you thinking?" Mason shouted at the same time I thanked Quil and kissed him happily on his lips.

"I'll be fine, Mason. You'll see."

Mason crossed his arms across his chest and looked sideways out the windows, like he was trying really hard to not care. "You'd better be."

I didn't respond, instead turning back to Quil to give him the address. Once that was taken care of I kissed him again and headed for the front door.

I didn't waste any time dilly-dallying while driving. My sister was broken, and I was on a mission to help her put all those little pieces back together, no matter what the problem was.

* * *

><p><em>Mason<em>

"I can't believe you let her go. Obviously, you're already a dumbass, but I thought you had _some _sense when it came to Claire's safety." I growled. It had been probably fifteen minutes since Claire left and it felt like I hadn't taken a breath the entire time. Was Claire _asking _for trouble? Did Quil lose whatever shreds of a mind he had?

"Claire and I have a relationship built on trust, Mason. You wouldn't understand, considering you've probably never trusted a person in your whole life."

I felt the rage boiling in my blood but forced it back. He wasn't even worth blowing up at. "That's rich, coming from you. And you can shut up. You really know nothing about me." We were sitting awkwardly on the living room sectional couch, as far apart as possible. Just as before, the TV was nothing more than meaningless background noise.

"Don't tell me to shut up, you started it. I did what I knew Claire wanted, if that makes me a pushover then so be it."

"You see Quil, that's the difference between you and I. You show your love by doing everything in your power to keep her happy. I show mine by doing everything I can to keep her alive. She may not always be happy with me, but at least she'll be alive. And of course she loves you… because you give her whatever she wants even when it isn't what is best. I'm surprised you haven't accidently indirectly killed her by now."

Quil stood abruptly from the couch and appeared in front of me within a second, grabbing me by the shirt and yanking me up to my feet. "Now you listen to me. Claire is my life. I make her happy and keep her safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to her. She's my imprint and I know what is best for her. And also, if you keep mentioning how you're in love with my girlfriend I'm going to rip off your legs and feed them to you. Got it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Got it. Now put me the fuck down."

He huffed and released my shirt, going back to his side of the couch and faking interest in the TV. The Simpsons were over and had been replaced by some stupid sitcom I'd never heard of.

Maybe five minutes later I felt a slight shift in the air just outside the front door. I stiffened, preparing myself to spring into action and attack the visitor, when I heard the rapid thrumming of a heartbeat. Too fast to be Claire's, but not a vampire either. The front door swung open and in raced none other than Brady, dressed in slacks and a dress shirt that he had only managed to get half-way through buttoning after phasing. He was panting heavily, as if he were tired and out of breath, but it would take a lot of running to make a wolf tired. Danny filed into the house behind him, similarly dressed.

"Not in Canada," Brady explained between heavy breaths, coming to a stop right in the middle of the living room. "Never in Canada."

A pit developed in my stomach. That didn't sound good… whatever he meant.

"What?" Quil and I asked in almost perfect synchronization, which may have bugged me in another circumstances.

_ He doesn't mean… He can't be referring to…_

I couldn't think the words.

"I'll explain everything. Call Sam though, someone needs to watch Claire," it was then that I realized that his heavy breathing was panic, not exhaustion. "We don't have much time!

"Claire isn't here right now, what is going on?"

"She isn't here? What the fuck do you mean she isn't here? Where is she?" Brady demanded.

"Going to pick up _your_ crazy sobbing girlfriend. Explain what is going on right now," I demanded, feeling panic mingle with blood and race wildly through my veins.

Brady's eyes widened to saucers. "Eliza? Did she talk to her? Is she alright?"

"Hell if I know, she was sobbing. Now I will seriously rip your head off if you don't start making sense."

"Eliza's been kidnapped. By Lilah. We're sure of it," Danny answered when it became clear that Brady wasn't going to be of any help. Just like that, Quil and I were on our feet.

"No," Quil growled. "No. It's impossible. We would have _known_ if Lilah was in town!"

"That's what I thought. But apparently not," Brady mumbled.

Quil got up in his face, much like he had with me earlier. "Explain everything. Exactly what happened at the dance?"

"Well, Eliza and I were dancing, you know. Then she was upset by ah… _something _and ran out of the gym. I would have chased after her, but I figured since she wanted to get away from me, following her wouldn't be a good idea. So I waited. And waited. After like fifteen minutes she still hadn't returned and I got worried, so I started asking around if anyone had seen her. Then I grabbed Danny and made him help me find her. We followed her scent outside and it was there on the sidewalk that we smelled… her. The leech. Her smell was everywhere, burning my nose like a mother fucker. And Eliza was gone," Brady explained hurriedly, his voice losing any last shreds of composure.

My mouth went cotton dry. "But—but Claire just talked to Eliza. She was just on her way to go pick her up and…"

"It's a trap," Quil muttered ruefully. "We played right into her trap. Don't you see… it's not Eliza Lilah was after. She's just bait for—"

"Claire," I choked.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

"Shh, calm down, Liza. Calm down. I'll come and get you, okay?"

"Okay. Th—thanks Claire."

The line went dead.

"Wonderful performance, Eliza. Have you ever considered a career in acting?" Lilah asked, pulling my phone away from my ear. We were in a dark living room area, bare of all furniture save for the dining room chair I sat in, held in place by my captor's disturbing ability to control my body with her mind. It was as if invisible ropes tied me tightly to my seat. I couldn't even lift a hand to wipe the tears streaming down my face. Despite Lilah's comment, that certainly wasn't acting on the phone. That was tears of absolute terror.

I had never actually seen the leech before, but honestly, the blue hair was kind of a dead giveaway. When I'd seen the crimson-eyed blue haired girl in the shadows in front of the school, my first instinct was to run. I didn't even have the time to make a single step. In the split second it took me to identify her she had already covered my mouth with her ice cold hand, muffling my shrieks. That hadn't stopped me from screaming myself raw, though.

I felt sick. Absolutely sick. There were three things that I knew without a shadow of a doubt. I was going to die, plain and simple. Because of me, Claire was also going to die. If I tried to fight back, Lilah would hold true on her promise she'd made before I'd called Claire. "Do it or more people will die than necessary. Your best friend, your father, your pregnant aunt, your uncle, your little cousin, and of course your precious boyfriend."

People were going to die. Because of me. People I loved.

For what felt like a very long time, neither one of us spoke. She paced while I cried silently. In the poor illumination of the room, I studied the creature that had been terrorizing my sister for months. If one ignored the weird blue dye job and blood red eyes, she sure didn't look like a murderer. She was very small in stature, probably the same height as Annie—at just over five feet—and alarmingly frail looking. Even though she was probably around my age, her supernaturally pale skin made her look even younger than she was. Surely such a small girl couldn't be so evil.

I shook my head, shaking away any thoughts of her innocence. Lilah hadn't invited me here to make small talk and drink tea, she was a full-on nutcase. I examined her again. She wore a black jacket with severely torn black skinny jeans tucked into combat boots. Her hair, by the looks of it, probably had gone un-brushed for a month. Surely the wild and rebellious look was meant to make her appear more wild and threatening.

"You're awfully quiet Liza, how unusual for you. What's the matter, finally run out of smart comments?"

"How do you know my name?" I inquired, trying to make my voice sound steady and strong. It didn't. I didn't have the energy to be strong. Not under such dark circumstances.

Lilah laughed a tinkling airy kind of laugh that sounded much too childlike and sweet for such a demented monster. "Oh, I know more than just that. Eliza Young, born Eliza Nile to the late Robert and Juliana Nile in 2004 in Seattle. Adopted as an infant. You were orphaned again after the death of your adoptive mother when you were seven. You and Claire went to live with your Aunt and Uncle and younger cousin, Amelia, until your father returned to town this last August. Your best friend is Lilly Gray, resident of Forks, mate of werewolf Embry Call. Your sister is mate of werewolf Quil Ateara, who is also the best friend of Embry and his half-brother. You do not have a mate, but are loved by werewolf Bra—" That was when I snapped.

"That's enough!" I screamed, wishing I could cover my ears. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

"Was it something I said?" Lilah smirked.

"Why are you doing this? What can you possibly want from us?" I demanded, wishing the hatred in my eyes could actually burn a hole through her. Or better yet, fifty.

"I already got what I wanted from you, Eliza. Thank you. Without you none of this would have been possible. I don't know if you've ever noticed but it is impossibly hard to get to your sister when she has an entourage of mutts surrounding her at all times."

"Leave Claire alone. She's just human. What can she possibly have that you need so badly? Why go through all this trouble?"

"You really are impatient, Liza. Stick around, you'll find out."

_Cause I really have a choice._ I shivered. Lilah checked my cell phone, tapping her foot on the floor.

"How long does it take a girl to drive from La Push to Forks? Seriously, it's been almost twenty minutes."

"And _I'm _the impatient one?" I mused tiredly. There was a flash of white and blue and suddenly those menacing red eyes were just inches away. I jumped but did not scream. I was so done with screaming.

"Do not mock me, girl. I don't need to keep you alive anymore. I can kill you right now and it will make no difference to me. I have all the power."

"Look, if you're about to do the whole super villain monologue thing then feel free to kill me. Hearing you talk is a fate worse than death," I wasn't intentionally trying to mouth off, but I guess people said crazy things when they knew they were about to die. I didn't even care at this point, wouldn't it be easier if I just died now? Lilah's eyes glowed with rage and my heart stopped for a moment as I understood that she really was about to kill me. As I realized that I really _didn't_ want to die. This didn't happen, though. Instead, she grabbed me by the hair and pulled me to my feet, letting her eyes bore into mine from just inches away. I hissed with pain. my hair felt like it was on the verge to rip from my scalp.

"Learn your place, Eliza." She let me fall back to my chair.

"No," I protested. "No. No! No! I will not be quiet and you will not kill anyone I love and I will not bend to your will anymore. You bloodsucking bitch! Brady will come for me. Quil will come for Claire. You'll never win."

She looked like she was prepared to snap my neck, and I flinched. She just laughed, though. "Oh, Eliza. You are so naïve it's really pathetic. You already have bent to my will, and you would do it again if I told you to. Brady will of course know I took you the second he goes outside, but that's no matter. He'll be too late to save you and I'll enjoy killing him. As for Quil, well, how will he save Claire when he doesn't even know she's in danger? He won't even realize anything is wrong until his girlfriend's dead body is delivered to his doorstep. I. Can't. Lose."

A sick shiver ran down my spine as the image of that Nora girl hanging outside Claire's window returned to the front of my mind. Now I didn't see her face though, it was Claire's. Lilah was right, maybe the guys _would _somehow figure out where we were and what was going on. But not in time. Lilah was going to win. I was going to die. Claire was going to die, probably in the most gruesome way. And considering Lilah's crazy body controlling powers, Brady probably would too.

I wanted to cry, but there were no tears left.

Then I heard the worst possible noise. The one thing I never wanted to hear. A car engine, tires on pavement, the sound of a car door. A minute of silence. Then, the ringing of the doorbell.

I wanted to warn her, to scream "Run!" at the top of my lungs, but my voice was nowhere to be found.

Lilah smiled, "I'll get it," she announced softly, disappearing around the corner.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

I'd never been to Jasmine's house before, or really thought about what it would look like. I knew that her mother didn't work, but her father was a cop, and cops made decent money around here. Enough money to take care of their house, at least. Placed in the middle of a quiet, very ordinary street, Jasmine's house stuck out. The grass was overgrown and full of weeds, the door was in need of a paint job, and the roof could use a re-tiling. All of the blinds were pulled shut, blocking intruders from peeking in, which was typical for cops, but the boards over the upstairs windows were a little much. What kind of home did Mrs. Albert keep?

I mentally shrugged away my stupid curiosities and rang the doorbell, unsure of what state I'd find Eliza in inside. Would she still be crying? Had she found enough time to glue her emotionless mask back together? Would she pretend she had no idea what I was talking about and that she had never cried at all?

After a moment of silent contemplation, I heard footsteps reach the door, but it didn't open right away. "Hi," I greeted hesitantly when it appeared no one was going to open the door. "I'm here to pick up my sister, Eliza."

Almost instantly, the door opened. A figure stood just inside the door, in the shadows of the house. It was clearly a female, but I couldn't make quite out her features. Before I could say anything else, the girl stepped into the light, a horrible grin spreading across her sickly white face. Lilah.

"Surprise," she cooed. At that moment, my world stopped. My mouth went drier than cotton balls, my stomach lurched, every one of my muscles tensed to run. But we both knew escape was impossible.

This was a trap.

_And I played right into it…_

I opened my mouth, prepared to scream at the top of my lungs and only hope someone would come to my rescue. (I didn't want to let myself wonder if there was anyone around who actually _could._) Before I could make so much as a whimper, she was behind me, one of her ice cold arms pinning down both of mine and her other covering my mouth.

"Now, now, Claire. Don't be afraid. Be brave, like your little sister."

Just like that, the world started spinning again, a million times faster. And backwards. _No. No. Not Eliza. No._

Not only did Lilah have me, she'd gotten her hands on my family. She'd used a member of my family as bate to lure me out alone. And now we were both going to die.

Lilah shoved me—not too gently—through the door and down a small hallway into the living room. In the center of the room was Eliza, seated stiffly in a chair that probably came from the kitchen.

"Liza," I mouthed, my throat too tight with terror to produce any sound. She was still in her dress from the dance, not a smudge of dirt on the elegant fabric. Her hair had fallen, but the curls hung nicely on her shoulders. From a distance, someone would maybe see nothing at all out of place. Just a young, pretty girl in a fancy dress. But her face told another story. Mascara made black trails down her cheeks, which were obviously tear-stained. Her eyes were red and wet. Most of her makeup had been smeared of washed away all together. One thing on the phone hadn't been fake, Eliza certainly had been crying.

"Claire, I'm sorry! I didn't have a choice! She threatened to hurt Amelia and Lilly and Brady!" Her voice cracked and more tears filled the corners of her eyes.

"I know," I wanted to say. I wanted to tell her that I understood—that she had had no other choice. I wanted to tell her she was brave. I was not, however. There was no strength in me. I was teeming with pure, real, fear. The most intense fear I had ever experienced. I was scared into utter silence, all too aware of Lilah's presence behind me.

Wanting to stay between the leech and Eliza, I raced over to her and wrapped her in my shaky embrace. She didn't move. _Lilah is using her power, _I realized suddenly. Not on me, but on Eliza. All my nightmares were quickly becoming a reality. I only hoped that Quil didn't try to come save me. I was already indirectly killing my little sister, I couldn't let him suffer the same fate.

"How sweet," Lilah mocked making her way over to us slowly, casually. She was in no hurry, there was no urgency. Lilah would savor my death. She inhaled deeply through her nose and her eyes nearly rolled back into her head. Then, another step towards me. I coiled away from her reflexively, knowing very well that I really couldn't defend myself against her. She leaned terrifyingly closer, fingering a lock of my hair and lifting it to her nose, then giving a pleasurable sigh.

"You smell so much better without the wolf dominating my nose," she noted.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I choked out, finally recovering my voice from the depths of my terror. I stared down at my shoes, too afraid to meet her eyes, but also too nervous to shut my own. "What did Quil ever do to you?"

"Who says this has anything to do with Quil?"

"That's why you're going to—to kill me, isn't it? To hurt Quil."

Lilah—who had been circling Eliza and I menacingly—stopped abruptly and fell into a fit of laughter.

"God no, I don't give a damn about your little werewolf boyfriend. In fact, it would be so much simpler if he didn't exist at all."

"Then what?" I muttered, releasing Eliza from my arms and standing up to face my executioner. She was shorter than I was, and probably younger too, but she could also kill me between one blink and the next.

"I'll have you know, Claire, that if you're trying to stall me it's no use," Lilah chided lightly, staring me straight in the eyes. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment, I can promise you I left no loose ends. You won't be victorious tonight."

I shivered, averting my eyes to the unlit fireplace. "Don't I deserve to know why you went through all this trouble?" I replied, swallowing the painful lump of tears in my throat.

"Well…" The vampire chewed her lip, "I suppose I do deserve to brag about myself just a little. It's not an easy feat to dupe the Volturi and hide under their radar."

"I thought you worked for them. What happened, they fire you when you didn't bring in their favorite flavor of human?" Eliza spat.

Lilah's responding smile was dark and threatening, "I went rogue," she explained. "Disappeared the day of the battle and never returned to them. Jonathan, Haley, Connor, Harry, Xavier, your werewolves killed them all. But not me. I'm too smart for my old friends, for my previous employer, and way too clever for your little pack of boy toys. I knew how our little showdown on the field was going to end. We were outnumbered and lacked experience. When Jonathan said someone needed to kill the girlfriends, of course I volunteered. I didn't want to be around when the fighting started! The others assumed I was going off to kill you all, but that was never my intention. I had a friend, someone who also worked with the Volturi, but had their own personal agenda. There was a girl he wanted, a wolf-mate girl who was half mortal and half vampire, just like him."

"Nahuel," I realized. Lilah smiled wider.

"I was going to meet him and his beloved at the rendezvous point just 5 miles or so from your little safe house. He never came. Ran off in shame I guess, he doesn't handle rejection well. I don't either. You see, I am very fond of Nahuel. He doesn't have eyes for anyone but that hybrid brat. I had half a mind to suck her dry out of spite."

"You stay away from Renesmee," I warned her in the firmest voice I could muster.

"Relax, I said _half _a mind."

"Half a mind is all you've got, crazy bitch," Eliza muttered under her breath. Rage flashed in Lilah's eyes.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, very much. For now I will settle for this." She backhanded my little sister across the face. Eliza let out an agonized cry and despite my fear, I flung myself at the vampire.

"Leave her alone!" I screamed. Lilah pushed me to the ground—_hard_—and directed her stone cold glare at me. I struggled to breathe as the impact of my back hitting the hardwood knocked the wind out of me."

"Anyway, as I was saying. I had half a mind to kill the bitch, so I headed in the direction of the house. But on the way I smelled two trails. One headed toward the house, a werewolf. One leading away. Renesmee. But there was another scent mixed in with hers. A human smell more appealing than any single human I had ever come in contact with. It was you, Claire. Your blood calls to me, like a drug calls to a recovering addict. It is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Do you know what it means to be a blood singer, Claire?"

I shook my head no, her words sending an icy chill from the tips of my fingers and toes all the way to my heart. "It means," Lilah said airily, kneeling on the floor and looking down at me hungrily, "that I'm going to kill you Claire. I'm going to suck you dry." It didn't seem possible. All this trouble she went through, all the possibilities we considered, and all this time all that Lilah wanted was my blood. _My blood._

"Why haven't you done it already?" I demanded, swallowing my terror. "Why not kill me that day? Why not that week? We didn't see you for months! Why this game of cat and mouse, just to kill me?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Claire, you have quite the little entourage of werewolves who are with you every waking moment of the day. I couldn't very well barge in and grab you. So I laid low for a while, hoping to be forgotten. I was. I found a new companion, Cyril. You've met him, though I guess you wouldn't remember… seeing as you were asleep. I came up with a plan, a truly foolproof plan. And now I'm going to collect my reward."

"How were you able to hide out in the middle of the town without any of the pack picking up on your scent?"

"I have my ways, Claire. There are bigger things going on here, things that you can't imagine, things that the Volturi can hardly imagine. Every day the world becomes more and more of a mystery, doesn't it? Now stop stalling, Claire. I would like to kill you know."

She leaned closer, so her red eyes were just inches above my own. Tears gathered in my eyes. "No," I choked. "Please don't. I'm begging you, Lilah. You don't want to kill me. Quil will find you. The pack will kill you. Leave now and I'll make them call off the hunt. You can go free. Just don't hurt my sister or I. Let us go, please. You were human not too long ago, weren't you? Is there no humanity left in your soul?"

"None," Lilah sounded almost proud. "Any last words?"

"Quil," I breathed, defeated and crying. My entire body shook under her in fear. Lilah made a face, as if the name displeased her. Then, faster than I could make sense of, an ice cold hand clutched my shoulder and the other forced my head back, making my neck a broad expanse that may as well have been a sign reading "drink me."

"Don't worry, this will only hurt a lot," She mumbled, inhaling the perfume of my skin one last time.

"Claire, no!" Eliza screamed. I heard the sound of struggling, like she was trying hard to free herself from Lilah's power.

Lilah's teeth glided across my neck and my entire body stiffened as I prepared myself for the pain.

Her teeth sank into my neck.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: In this case and this case only, flame reviews are accepted. I know, I'm a horrible monster and this is the worst cliffhanger I've ever left you guys with. Hopefully this time I won't leave you dangling so long waiting for the next chapter. Ch. 55 is underway and hopefully will be coming to you soon.**


	55. Rescue Mission

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm a horrible person. It's been way too long since I've updated. Let's just say a bad case of writer's block and a newfound obsession with the CW's Supernatural are to blame. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm not completely satisfied with the outcome but I couldn't leave you guys hanging any longer! CLIMAX TIME!**

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

We were out of the house and tearing through the forest in five seconds. I was leading the pack, running so fast my paws weren't actually touching the ground at all. Danny, being the only person in his right mind at the moment, was explaining the situation to the rest of the pack, who had turned around and were racing back to Forks at full speed.

But they wouldn't make it in time to help… Even Collin, who had only crossed the border into Canada an hour ago, was still two hours away running at full throttle.

And Claire could die any minute. There was no time. _No time. _I let out another agonized howl as we wove through the trees. Brady was only a pace behind me, and Mason was at his heels, alongside Danny. Four wolves. Against Lilah, her accomplice, and for all we knew an entire army. There was no knowing what Lilah was capable of.

_Quil, I know you're freaking out. We all are, but I'm going to need you to focus, okay? We need a plan of action,_ Danny reminded gently.

I knew he was right, but I couldn't curb my panic. Why was this all happening to me? Why Claire? If she died tonight it would be my fault. I never should have let her leave. Why didn't I just follow her? Mason was right. _Fuck! I am so stupid! _

_ If she dies, I swear to God I am going to end your life Quil. I will fucking kill you._ Mason promised darkly.

_I'll let you, _I replied miserably. _If the vampire bitch doesn't do the job for you. _

_No one is fucking dying, got it? _Brady snarled, speeding up. _No one except for those worthless vampires, that is. Tonight we finish this once and for all._ His words were confident, but Brady's mind was almost as hectic as mine. Every thought colored with terror. He was thinking of how stupid he was for not chasing after Eliza. How this was all really _his_ fault.

_Stop it, this isn't the time for beating yourself up, _Mia, always the voice of reason, interrupted from hundreds of miles away. _Go save your girlfriends and kick some vampire ass. Oh, and don't let my brother get hurt either._

_ I'll be fine, Mia, _Danny promised.

_Is Lilly okay? _Embry asked hesitantly.

_We didn't want her to panic, so we didn't tell her what's going on. As long as she stays at the dance, she should be safe. I don't think Lilah will try and touch her, _Danny assured him.

_Okay, game plan, _I intervened, finally gathering my thoughts enough to focus. I transformed my fear to rage and let that rage drive me forward. _Brady, get Eliza out of there. Eliza is your priority, okay? Get her out of there and kill any vampire that gets in your way._

_ Gladly, _Brady nodded.

_Danny, I need you to get Claire as far away as possible. It doesn't matter if any of us need your help. Take Claire and get. Her. Out. _

_ Sure thing, I'll deliver her to Paul or Sam or Jared if I can. She'll be safe with one of them. _

_ I'm trusting you to protect my everything, don't fail. _I warned, my thoughts suddenly scarily calm.

_I'll protect her. You can trust me. _

_ What about me? _Mason asked, his usual loathing tone of voice he reserved for me was nowhere to be heard. He was all business now, like a true member of the pack.

_We are going to take Lilah down. It won't be easy, she's smart, fast, and powerful, but if we work together we can end her. Permanently._

_ One problem, how do we find the bitch? We've circled Forks a million times and never caught the scent of her hideout, _Mason reminded with much frustration.

_We _ _follow Claire's scent. Lilah may be able to hide her own trail, but she can't mask Claire's, _I explained.

_Run faster damn it, Eliza and Claire are in trouble! _Collin ordered, doing the same himself.

_Yeah, we know,_ I swallowed hard.

_I'm coming for you Claire, hold on baby._

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

The world froze when Lilah lowered her lips to Claire's neck.

"Claire, no!" I screamed, using up the last of my strength trying to break the invisible restraints. It was useless, of course. Everything was hopeless.

I kept screaming, letting my voice go completely ragged. Each new scream burned my throat, but I didn't care. Nothing mattered other than Lilah's bared teeth as they sank into my sister's neck.

I wanted to avert my eyes, but couldn't. This time it was not Lilah's power, but my disgusted horror that rendered me unable to look away. Horrible streaks of red blood poured down from her neck, staining the light gray of Claire's shirt.

_I'm going to throw up._

Then, just as quickly as she started, Lilah ripped her mouth away, rising to her feet with wide, furious eyes. I quit screaming. Claire froze. All was still.

"No! Damn it!" Lilah shrieked furiously, kicking Claire harshly to the side. She landed with a heavy thud that made Claire yelp in pain and me flinch for her. "Damn it all!"

I didn't understand Lilah's anger at first, until the front door busted in and four _very _angry werewolves spilled into the living room.

_Brady_

The good news, we found Lilah's hideout easily. The bad news, it was in the middle of a mother fucking neighborhood. From our perch in the forest, we would have to cross through a random backyard and cross the street. It was dark, but it wasn't even ten o'clock yet, and we ran the massive risk of being seen or heard.

_Smart bitch, _Embry huffed. The rest of the pack was in agreement.

_You have to get in there without exposing yourselves, _Jacob thought.

_Yeah, we got that. _Danny rolled his eyes. _I know you guys want to help, but we kind of need to focus here. Stop being backseat werewolves._

A chorus of apologies flooded my brain, followed by muted thoughts. The rest of the pack was trying hard not to distract us, but it wasn't easy. They were antsy. We'd never been separated during battle like this.

Then I heard a new sound, and it wasn't coming from my brain, it was coming from across the street. A scream, agonizingly familiar. Eliza.

_I don't fucking care if the entire world knows werewolves exist._ I dashed out of the cover of trees, through the yard of a little white house and toward the blue one across the street where Claire's car was parked. The others, seeming to agree with me, followed. As soundlessly as possible, we raced through the street, dodging the glow of street lamps and sticking to the shadows of nearby trees.

Eliza was still screaming as I approached and a horrible odor assaulted my nose. Worse than any reeking leech was the smell of blood. Fresh human blood. Quil growled, knocking me to the side and busting through the front door, taking a good portion of the wall down with him. We barreled in after him, making a line of massively pissed off vampire killers.

Lilah cursed and positioned herself defensively in front of Claire, who was lying on the floor in a heap. She was the source of the blood smell. Quil's responding growl was so vicious that I imagined it would send any creature in a fifty mile radius running for cover. Lilah didn't though, she stood her ground, crouching possessively in front of Claire.

"Now, now, Quil. Let's not be hasty," she breathed, eyes alight with adrenaline or bloodlust, or perhaps both.

_Fucking leech, _Quil snarled, taking a step toward her and Claire.

"What did I just say?" Lilah snapped, narrowing her eyes at Quil. It was then that Quil lost control of his body. Lilah wrapped her invisible talons around him and brought his body into an awkward kneeling position. Then, with the nod of her head, Quil was off of the ground and hurtling through a wall into the kitchen.

Then several things happened at once. Claire screamed Quil's name, Danny and Mason sprung at Lilah, and across the room, Eliza got to her feet. It was the first time I'd noticed her… and my heart nearly ripped out of my chest. Was this what hell was like? Eliza's entire face was wet with tears, she had a red mark across the side of her face, like she'd been slapped, and she was running _toward _the fighting.

_Eliza stop! _I yelled at her, wishing she could somehow hear me.

Quil, who was getting painfully to his feet in the other room, moaned out an order. _Get Eliza out of here, Brady. Remember your job. _

I nodded, meeting her across the room and blocking her path. "Claire!" She was screaming. "Claire! Claire!" I shook my head at her, frustrated by the communication block.

_You have to get out of here, _I attempted to explain with my eyes.

"Move! Get out of my way!" She shrieked at me. Even when I was trying to save her life she didn't want me there. Typical Eliza.

I gave a wolfy shrug as if to tell her, _Okay, we're going to have to do this the hard way. As always._ I latched onto her dress with my teeth, feeling it rip as I tossed her on to my back. The second she was on me, I evacuated the building. Lilah, switching off between using her twisted full-body control on Danny and Mason, was too pre-occupied to notice. I fled the scene, feeling Eliza's fingers twist into my fur. I knew she didn't want to leave her sister behind, but apparently she wanted to fall off of my back even less. I took us across the street to a house with no lights on and sat her down on the grass in the front yard to let her gather herself as I prepared a plan of action. Where would she be safest? Sam's house? But would that put Amelia and Emily in danger?

"Just what do you think you're doing?" A menacing male voice inquired from behind me.

_Damn it._

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

There is no such thing as safe in the world we live in. The wolf (I had no idea which one it was, there were too many to keep straight and I'd never really seen them in wolf form all at the same time) turned slowly, hesitantly, to face the figure standing under the street light. I'd nearly forgotten about him, the accomplice. Lilah had called him Cyril when she sent him outside to patrol the street. His green hair looked damp, like he had taken a swim. I squinted and noticed it was wet with blood. Apparently someone had taken a snack break. I shuddered.

The wolf growled, putting himself (I knew it couldn't be Mia or Leah, they were away in Canada following a false lead) in between me and the bloodsucker. His lips curled, showing a set of wickedly sharp teeth. The wolf didn't hesitate jumping on him, pinning him to the ground. The vampire had the most vibrant red eyes I had ever seen on a vampire, and was reminded of the redheaded vampire Haley's eyes from the summer. Annie had informed me that the more vivid the red, the younger the vampire was likely to be. She had also said that newborn vampires were stronger and faster. If this was the case with him, my eyes weren't precise enough to tell. Everything was just a blur of pale skin and brown fur. From what I could make out, the wolf seemed to have the upper hand. The vampire, Cyril, wasn't very crafty. Had the vampire ever had to think for himself since becoming a vampire, or if he had blindly done everything Lilah ordered? I assumed the latter. Suddenly there was a ripping sound and something pale and cylindrical landed at my feet—an arm. I cringed and stepped back. Seconds later a chunk of skin went flying off in another direction. _That's disgusting._

I wanted to shut my eyes, but couldn't. Not seeing would be even worse than seeing. Closing my eyes would make me vulnerable.

After a moment the tearing sounds stopped. Pieces of vampire were scattered across the yard, but there was no blood anywhere. I shuttered again, finally turning my back to the scene and taking a seat. I hugged my knees to my body and tried not to panic. A few minutes later, I felt the cool dampness of the wolf's nose nudging at my exposed back. I turned slightly, seeing that the wolf had managed to get a a small fire going, which he was roasting the vampire with. I stared at it numbly, then up at the wolf.

"Uh, thanks. You know, for saving me. And killing that vampire," I mumbled awkwardly. The pack member was staring at me with enough intensity to make me uncomfortable. I was not accustomed to seeing so much awareness in the eyes of an animal. Of course, this wasn't just an animal. It was… well, someone. One of my friends.

The wolf nodded once.

"Yeah, well, I guess it would be easier to thank you if I knew who you were. I'm not really used to talking to animals you know. Uhhh," I looked down at the grass. Feeling awkward and just… I don't even know. Everything felt so surreal. The wolf nudged me gently again, communicating something that was lost on me. I wasn't fluent in werewolf. "Okay I'm going to close my eyes now if you want to change back or something. If not well, I guess that's cool, too." I did as I said I would, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. When I opened them again a minute later, I learned the identity of my savior.

Brady—who else?—was doing up the buttons on his white dress shirt from the dance. He had about two done when he noticed me watching him.

"Hey Angel," he said casually, looking down at me with a gentle smile on his face. My heart thrummed excitedly at the sight of him. My knight in shining armor. But I wasn't exactly looking like a princess. My hair had fallen from its earlier style and hung in messy knotted curls over my shoulders, my makeup was probably all cried away, and now, thanks to him, my dress had a tear going up to my mid thigh. He seemed to notice, too. "Sorry about the dress."

He held a hand out to help me to my feet, and I accepted it. As I rose to a standing position, I struggled to think of some typical Eliza response, but everything was too dreamlike, and I was coming up blank. I was memorized by his eyes, which were gazing deeply into mine. Warmth flooded my whole body, and it had nothing to do with his body heat.

"Are you alright?" He asked, stroking my cheek where Lilah had slapped me.

_Yes, _I wanted to say, _Yes, I am perfectly fine. I am Eliza Young… I am always fine. _"No. No, I'm not," I murmured instead.

Brady's face twisted with confusion, clearly he hadn't been expecting me to tell the truth any more than I had been. The look passed quickly though, and his face softened. "Don't worry, Eliza. I'm here, nothing is going to happen to you," he assured me, his eyes eyes boring into mine.

Without thinking, I blurted, "I should have known it was you. No one else ever looks at me that way."

"Like what?" He inquired, still holding my eyes with his.

"Like I'm everything," I breathed, against my better judgment.

"You are," he whispered roughly in response, gathering me in his arms and hugging me tightly, rubbing his hands over my goose bump covered skin. Then, too soon, he released me, holding my arms with his hands and staring down at me.

"Brady," I breathed. It had been my intention to sound scolding, but instead it came out like a passionate sigh. Where the hell was I going with this? I needed to stop. I was in a trance. I wasn't thinking reasonably. I wasn't—

"Yes?" His intensity made me weak in the knees.

I got up on the tips of my toes, using my hands to bring his head down to my level, and kissed him.

Brady's body stiffened with surprise momentarily, and then, realizing what was happening, he pulled me back into his arms and returned the kiss.

It was gentle and close-mouthed at first, nothing more than his lips and mine moving together softly. Then, for just an instant, Brady's tongue parted my lips.

That was my breaking point. I couldn't control myself or my feelings. I was so tired of controlling my feelings around Brady. I could no longer bottle everything up inside. So I let go, I stopped caring, and I kissed him with all I had.

Even as I did this, I knew it was a horrible idea. I knew I would have to fix everything later, and that it would not be pretty. But I wasn't going to worry about that yet. I was too selfish to worry about that just yet.

Brady's hands found themselves into my hair, his fingers twisting and un-twisting around the loose curls there. At the same time, he was using his hands to keep me in place, to keep my lips hard on his. He was being very dominant… and there were no words for how hot it was. Although it had started off as just a sweet, friendly kiss, we were long past that by now. As our tongues met in a frenzy of passion, I let myself think of all the times I'd wanted to kiss him and stopped myself. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Then, I let my mind wander to all of the sexy dreams I'd had of us kissing over the past couple months. His tongue grazed the roof of my mouth, making my legs give out for real this time. I toppled to the grass, bringing Brady down with me.

There was lots of rolling at that point. I was lying on top of Brady, then he was kneeling over me, then I was back on top. I undid the buttons of his shirt that he had done up, warming my hands on his chest while letting my fingers glide across the hard muscles under his skin. Brady's hand was on the bare skin of my mid thigh, exposed to the winter air thanks to the huge tear in my dress. His hand moved further up my thigh, the tips of his fingers brushing my inner legs, agonizingly close to my underwear. I was hyper-aware of his entire body, where we were touching, where we were not. The remarkable heat coming off of his skin in waves and soaking through to my bones. Kissing Brady had never been this good, in dreams or reality. I wanted to wrap my legs around him, to hold him prisoner in my embrace forever.

But I had to stop myself. The longer I kissed him, the harder it would be to pull away. Even then, as I felt his tongue glide across mine, I found myself forgetting all the reasons I needed to stay away from him. I caught myself disregarding my promise to never let a boy break my heart like Thaeo ever again.

_Brady isn't Thaeo, Eliza, _my heart reminded my brain.

_No, he isn't. I love him more than I ever loved Thaeo, more than I've ever loved any guy. And if he ever decided he didn't want me anymore, or imprinted on some girl, my heart wouldn't break, it would shatter. The pieces would scatter so far to the wind that they would never be put back together in the same way ever again, and some pieces would never be recovered at all._

Maybe I would have listened to my brain, and pulled away for my heart's sake, maybe I wouldn't have. I'll never know for sure, because somehow, in the middle of my deep thoughts of love and heartbreak, in the middle of one of the most heated and passionate moments of my life, the real world slapped me across the face harder than Lilah had earlier.

Claire. Claire was still in there. In danger. And me, selfish as I was, got so caught up in kissing Brady that I had all but forgotten. I pulled away from the kiss then, or at least I tried to. Brady chased after my lips, unwilling to leave the perfect moment. Unable to help myself, I stopped resisting for another few seconds.

_Focus, Eliza! Stop being so damn selfish! _I physically had to stick my hand between Brady's mouth and mine to stop the kiss. Brady's eyes were confused with just a touch of worry, like he wasn't sure what I was about to do next.

"Claire," I breathed, getting up off the grass. "She's in danger. The pack needs you. You should, uh, go help them. I'm fine out here."

Panic crossed Brady's features, and he stood as well, "I'm supposed to protect you. I can't just leave you out here, what if there's another vampire lurking around?"

"Then I'll scream really loudly, okay? Claire needs help more than I do."

"But—" I silenced whatever argument Brady was prepared to make by kissing him again with fervor.

"Go," I whispered. He bit his lip, and I noticed several conflicting emotions burning within him—clearly something we had in common.

Then he sighed and nodded. "Fine." He peered down at me thoughtfully, eyes filled with emotion. Then, as he brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face, he smiled in a lighthearted way that only Brady could manage in such a horrible situation. "Your hair is curly," he noted before turning away and making his way back across the street, slipping his white button down off his shoulders as he went. I tried not to gawk.

"Brady I—" I called out to him, without really meaning to. I stopped immediately when I realized what was happening. I had been about to tell him I loved him. Horror gripped my chest. _Brady I love you. _He had stopped and was looking back at me expectantly.

"Yes, Angel?"

"Be careful," I sighed, hoping with all my heart that this would not be my last image of him. I would rather suffer a million heartbreaks than live a single day in a world where Brady Fuller no longer existed.

He was back in front of me within two seconds, drawing me in for one last kiss. When he released me, I averted my eyes, not able to watch him phase and race off into battle, even if it _was _what I'd asked him to do. Seconds later I glanced up to find myself in the street entirely alone, with only Brady's shirt lying in the road to prove he'd been here at all.

Sighing, I grabbed his now grass-stained and dusty dress shirt off of the ground. Instead of folding it neatly and setting it gently in the grass for his return, I found myself wrapping myself up in it. _It will provide some warmth, at least. Hypothermia is the last thing I need right now._ And also, because underneath everything else, it smelled like him.

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

Lilah was outnumbered, but not outmatched. I realized that as I shook the drywall from my fur. She would likely go down fighting, but she _would _go down. Currently, Lilah, Mason, and Danny were engaged in a deadly dance. Lilah tiptoed around them, laughing maniacally as she sent one wolf hurtling into the other or knocked one of them flat on their back with not even as much as a nod of her head. She was powerful, that much was obvious. But no one, even vampires, were invincible. In every person's armor, a chink exists. One weakness that when exploited, possesses the power to overcome the enemy. And as Lilah sashayed around the living room, playing her twisted game, I realized her vulnerability.

_She can only use her power on a single person at once, she hasn't had the kind of time it requires to fully develop her power, _I muttered, as much to myself as the others.

_So you're saying we've got to work as a team, hmm? _Mason replied, lacking the dry humor that I had become so accustomed to.

I didn't reply. Something in the corner of my vision had captured my attention—a figure crumpled on the floor with a pool of blood forming at her feet. _Claire. Claire, Claire, Claire! _My mind screamed—so violently that it made my head ache—out to her. The plan evaporated from my brain. Everything was gone, and all I could focus on was getting her out of the house and to a hospital. Or to Dr. Vampire, if he was home yet. I wasn't quite sure where to take your girlfriend when she could be… when she may turn into… after she's been _bitten_.

And she _had _been bitten. The blood coursing from her neck made that much crystal clear.

My feet were pounding against the false wooden floor to her before I made the conscious decision to move. Claire may not have noticed my appearance, or she may have simply not cared. Her eyes were locked in on Lilah and the others. I sent them the briefest of glances and felt my stomach lurch painfully. Danny charged at Lilah, and rather than hop out of the way, she nodded her head a little and telepathically sent him flying into Mason, who cursed colorfully.

_"Quil?" _Claire mumbled distantly, her eyelids fluttering. She was lying in a puddle of her own blood. Her neck, shirt collar, and jacket were soaked with it.

_Screw the plan, I'm getting her out of here. _Would Claire be strong enough to get on my back?

My fur shifted with a slight breeze as Lilah found her way over. Faster than I could even react, she had hoisted Claire off of the ground and held her in her icy arms.

"You kill me and she dies too," she warned, smirking wickedly. "Then again, she'll probably die either way. Look at all the blood she's losing." My jaw clenched painfully as Lilah dragged one of her bony white fingers across Claire's neck. It came back wet and red. Lilah stuck her finger into her mouth with a smile, licking away all of the blood. Every muscle in my body was coiled to spring and my brain alone was stopping me from lunging at her and shredding her to ribbons. I couldn't hurt Lilah while she held Claire. None of us could, we were putty in her hands.

"You wicked bitch," Claire spat, sounding a tiny margin stronger than she had a few seconds ago. She was a fighter, my Claire. No one could deny that.

She was the girl I had dedicated my life to protecting. The girl I loved with everything I had. The girl who loved me for everything I was. The girl who I put up with young moronic wolves for. The girl I could never bear to say no to. The girl I would do anything, even sacrifice myself, for. And she was _not_ going to die. Not anytime soon.

_Mason, I'm going to need you to grab Claire the second I move, got it. Don't hesitate. _

_ How, grab her by the shirt with my teeth? _What normally would have been dry Mason humor now held not an ounce of sarcasm. He couldn't joke around when the girl we both loved was in the arms of a vampire.

_Improvise. Danny, you and I have to rip her to shreds. _

The sound of glass exploding rang in my ears as the entire front window behind Lilah shattered. It was Brady, back in wolf form. Lilah had no time to react before Brady's teeth were at her leg. Mason, seeing his chance, swept in. As much as I wanted to go to Claire, I forced my attention away from her.

_Focus Quil, _I reprimanded. Lilah had Brady on his back now, but Danny and I lunged at her together. She diverted her attention away from Brady to take control of Danny, sending him hurtling at me and knocking us both off of our feet. Brady seized this opportunity to sink his teeth into her chest.

"No!" Lilah screamed, a horrible, inhuman sound. "Cyril! Cyril!"

_Someone ought to tell this leech that "Cyril" is roasting over a fire pit as we speak. _Brady thought smugly. While Lilah turned Brady on Danny, I knocked the bitch flat onto her back, my razor-sharp claws digging into her alabaster white arms.

"Be reasonable, Quil! You can't kill me!" Lilah insisted, sounding more insane than ever. "If I die, what happens to Claire? Don't you want to know if she's turning? Don't you want to know if she'll still be Claire in the morning?"

Every bone in my body caught fire, like it did when I was phasing. It was then that I realized I actually _was _phasing, back to human. "What's going to happen to her?" I demanded. Danny and Brady held her down. She couldn't keep them both off of her at once, and they were stronger.

"Stop trying to kill me and I'll tell you."

"Tell me now and your death will be mercifully quick, otherwise your death will be the longest and most agonizing experience of your life, bloodsucker so help me—"

"I choose option C. Living," Lilah smiled darkly, kicking free suddenly from Brady and bringing Danny to his knees simultaneously. She sprang for Claire, who was just centimeters from the door. Panic gripped my heart as I flung myself after Lilah, phasing midair. I had to grab her before she could get to Claire. I _had _to.

But I didn't. Before I could reach her a flash of orange fur came out of virtually nowhere and ripped her head clean off. The head rolled a few times before hitting the corner so her hair was facing us and her eyes were staring deeply into the wall.

_Enjoy Hell, bitch, _Mason muttered as Lilah's headless body crumpled to the floor, looking disturbingly like an oversized doll.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Annie had once told me that becoming a vampire was like being lit on fire. You're bitten, and suddenly white hot flames of pure agony are pumped through your veins until the only thing in your mind is the fire. Everything goes black and there is nothing but the burning for what feels like an eternity, and after a while you scream so long that your voice is gone altogether, and the rest of the suffering comes in silence.

Lilah's teeth had broken my skin. I'd felt the sharp pain as she drew the blood from my neck and into her mouth. My neck, along with several other parts of my body ached like hell. My head spun and I'm pretty sure my shirt would never be clean from all the blood… But I wasn't burning.

There was no uncontrollable acidic pain coursing through my entire body, I wasn't delirious with pain. In fact, I felt alert. Well…. As alert as a girl _could _be when she lost a little too much blood and hit her head a little too hard. I was alert enough to witness Lilah lunge for me with murder in her eyes. I wasn't so far gone that I missed Mason pounce on her and rip her head free from her body.

I was able to fight the dizziness and headache to realize one concrete thing.

Mason saved my life.

Watching Lilah's headless body topple to the ground, I felt almost as if I could do the same. The blood loss was clearly affecting me. On top of the blood Lilah drank before the boys busted in, I was still bleeding a decent amount from the bite wound in my neck. At this point, the sharpness of the pain had subsided to a numb kind of throbbing. Surely that wouldn't happen if I were becoming a vampire, right?

"Claire?" Came a panicked, familiar voice. I was too lightheaded to think straight by that point. "Claire, baby? Are you okay? Claire?" He appeared in my line of sight then, causing my heart to nearly beat out of my chest. Quil had apparently phased back and put his pants on without me noticing. Maybe I wasn't quite as alert as I'd given myself credit for… Or maybe I was just in shock. After all, a vampire _had _tried to suck me dry only to get her head ripped off all of two feet away from me.

"Quil?" I mumbled distantly, noticing how the word sounded weird coming out of my mouth. It was almost as if I was coming out of a very deep sleep and was still only half-conscious. Or maybe I was falling into one.

Quil half-dragged me into his arms within a second and began hugging me so tightly I could almost feel him squeezing the life out of me. "Can't breathe," I choked.

"Sorry," Quil murmured, loosening his hold but not releasing me. He drew me back only slightly, to examine my physical state. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit, but human shit. If I was becoming a… you know, I think I'd feel more pain." Behind Quil, I noticed Brady, Mason, and Danny back in human form also, hanging close and giving me concerned looks.

"But that's not possible," Mason reasoned, "I thought vampire bite equals new vampire. That's how they populate."

"Maybe Claire's a freak of nature," Danny offered, earning him two very vicious glares from both Mason and Quil. I probably would have glared too, but I was more focused on simply keeping my eyes open. And besides, it's not like I hadn't been called worse things by Eliza.

Speaking of Eliza, where was she? Panic set in as I searched the room for her frantically with my eyes. "Where's Eliza?" I asked, feeling more awake than before.

"She's safe," Brady assured me, "I got her out. She's safe across the street, don't worry, I can still hear her breathing. She's fine. Terrified, but fine."

"I have to see her. We need to get out of here. She can't just be out there all alone! It's dangerous and—"

"First things first, if we want Lilah to _stay _dead, we have some body parts to burn," Danny reminded.

I shuddered. Lilah staying dead was _definitely _a good idea. "Yeah, okay, fine. You got a lighter?"

"No, I was at a dance earlier. Thought I was getting the night off, who would have guessed today I'd actually _need _it."

"I used the last of my matches on the leech accomplice outside earlier," Brady offered up unhelpfully. He turned to Mason, "Hey, you've been known to smoke a cigarette or two, tell me _you've _got a lighter."

"Yeah," Mason replied, digging his hand into the deep pocket of his shorts and feeling around. "Wait, no. Must have fallen out somewhere on the run. Damn it." He used his free hand to palm his forehead.

"It's fine, people lived here at some point, right? So let's just look around and see if we can find a lighter or matchbox or something," Quil suggested, though to me he and everyone else sounded miles away.

"Ugh, it smells like leech and decaying human flesh in here," Brady mumbled distastefully.

"Well what else would you expect from a Bloodsucker's evil lair?" Mason inquired drily.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Brady replied, heading toward the staircase, "I'll check the bedrooms."

"Mason and I will look down here, you stay with Claire… and watch the body," Danny suggested before disappearing into the darkness of what I assumed was the kitchen area.

"How about you sit down, baby?" Quil suggested, kissing my forehead and retrieving the chair Eliza had been bound to earlier. I turned my eyes away, fighting back the too sharp images.

"No, no, I'm fine. No sitting," I breathed, burying my face in his chest. For a moment, I swore I was about to cry, but no tears made an appearance. I was cried out, tired out, and soon enough I'd probably have to add bled out to the list. This whole thing felt like a dream. I was there, but I wasn't. Unconsciousness threatened to wash over me at any moment and my main focus was simply keeping my eyes open.

"Claire," Quil's voice was barely a whisper. I glanced up at him and his eyes appeared to be wet, like he was repressing tears of his own. Then again, maybe I had lost so much blood that I was starting to hallucinate. It was impossible to tell. "Claire baby I am so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Shh," I murmured into his bare chest. "Just hold me and tell me you love me and I'll be alright."

"I love you. I love you so much, Claire," Quil breathed, hugging me tightly against him without squeezing the life out of me this time.

"I love you, too. I'm sorry for being stubborn. You gave me what I wanted, and I love you for it. I was the idiot who waltzed right into a trap."

"We're not talking about this right now, okay?" His fingers ghosted down my sleeves and over my wrists. Then, with remarkable gentleness, Quil pulled the bloodied jacket down my arms and balled it up to press to my neck. "Keep this held right here. It'll help with the bleeding. Are you sure you aren't changing into a vampire?"

"Well I'm not writhing in agony on the floor. I'm just a little woozy. And my head is pounding a little from when it slammed against the floor," I assured him.

"Wait, you hit your head?" Quil's eyes filled with a new panic. Shit, I really should have left that part out. If he knew that Lilah kicked me down out of frustration right before he busted in, the rage would all come back to him.

"I was backing up, trying to get away… and I tripped. And fell backwards. In retrospect it wasn't that bad. My shoulder took most of the fall."

Quil scowled deeply down at me.

"What?" I asked defensively.

"Stop trying to make everything that happened seem like no big deal. You're acting like you didn't almost just _die_."

"Quil—"

"Quil, Brady," it was Danny's voice, coming from the kitchen, that interrupted me, "You may want to come see this."

Quil's eyes darted toward the kitchen nervously. There was something unsettling about Danny's voice, and clearly I wasn't the only one who had noticed. Quil glanced back at me and I knew what was coming next.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," he promised, confirming my suspicions.

"Why can't I see?" I frowned.

"Because I don't know what it is yet, but this is Lilah's den… it may be… upsetting. Please just stay here," he kissed me briefly on the forehead. "Focus on not bleeding to death. Then we'll get you to the hospital."

"Fine." Brady was making his way down the stairs, appearing rather distraught. I wondered if he was worried about what Danny had to show him, or if he had witnessed some horror of his own. A shiver worked its way down my spine.

Brady and Quil shared a long look that I couldn't decipher, and then disappeared into the kitchen together. I counted to thirty before following after them, as soft-footed as I could manage. As I crossed through the hallway and came up to the mouth of the kitchen I heard their voices.

"I'm going to be sick."

"How long you think they've been here?"

"I told you it smelled in here."

I peeked into the room to find the four boys gathered around an open door. The pantry, I assumed. Despite my weak human senses, I could smell what it was they were talking about. It smelled rotten and fowl and oddly familiar yet completely alien at the same time. I squared my shoulders, took a breath, and prepared myself for the worst before barging into the kitchen. The boys turned to me with equally horrified faces. "Claire," Mason said firmly, "get out of here. Now."

"What is it?" I asked, moving closer toward them. "I'm not a child."

"I'll get her out of here, bring her back to the living room and sit with her," Brady offered. Within a second I found myself being scooped off of the ground.

"Put me down!" I demanded angrily. "Put me—" and then… from the corner of my eye… I saw it. I saw… _them._

The rotting corpses and decayed skeletons of Lilah's victims.

And screamed.

* * *

><p><em>Quil<em>

We were back in the living room now. Claire shook all over while Brady attempted to distract her with lame jokes and stories. Mason had disappeared off to God knows where. Danny and I stood tensely peering into the kitchen every so often, unable to wipe the horrible images from our minds. There were five bodies in total, one of them child sized. The only two at all recognizable were a woman—blonde, and probably in her mid thirties who had maybe been dead for a few days and a man who was most likely in his twenties and had probably been dead close to a week. The other three were barely more than bones in clothes at this point.

"Probably the former residents of this home," Mason deducted upon returning to the room, "and two snacks."

"Morbid much," Danny mumbled.

"I'm not the one who put the dead people in the pantry," Mason retorted. He held up a lighter, "But I will be the one to cremate them." In his other hand he was gripping the handle of a gasoline can.

"What the hell?" I questioned, stalking up to him and ripping the can from his hands. "What is your problem?"

"There is a house with dead decaying bodies and our fingerprints are everywhere. Unless you want the cops busting down your door within a week, we burn this whole damn place to the ground."

"You're pretty fucked up, you know that, right?" Brady told him disgustedly.

"Where did you even find that?" I added.

"The garage. Look, it's the _only _option and you know it."

"He's right," Claire muttered, speaking for the first time since the kitchen incident. "The whole house needs to burn, and every single body inside needs to burn along with it. What does it matter, they're already dead."

The room fell into a lapse of silence.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza <em>

It had been too long—nearly twenty minutes—since Brady had disappeared back into the house. What was happening in there? Where was Claire?

My stomach dropped as I wondered if maybe there wasn't anyone _to _come out.

_Don't you dare think that way, _I scolded myself. The night air was freezing, blowing easily through Brady's shirt, but I didn't care. I was long numb from the cold and the shirt still provided comfort if nothing else.

After staring at the house intently for twenty minutes, my eye finally caught sign of something going on inside. A strange, glowing orange light. After a minute, the light intensified, climbing up the curtains framing the windows of the home.

And then it dawned on me. The light was fire. The house was on fire.

_No more waiting around. _I stood, prepared to race across the street and barge into the house. Ready to fight off fire, or vampires, or both, to reach my sister.

Another movement from the house. This time it was figures appearing in the hole where the door used to be. My heart lifted. First out of the doorway was Claire, who was mostly being supported by Quil. Behind them was Danny, Mason, and finally Brady.

And then I was sprinting. I was aware of my legs burning, and tears spilling from my eyes, my bare feet being scratched and scraped by the old street, and my voice—raw from screaming—calling out for my sister. When I reached them, my body slammed into Claire's with such force that if it hadn't been for Quil we would have both went toppling to the ground.

"Claire, Claire, Claire," I murmured her name over and over, squeezing her as tightly as I could.

"You're literally squeezing the life out of me," she informed me breathlessly, causing me to loosen my grip just enough to allow her to breathe.

"Sorry," I apologized. "Claire, I was so worried. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"How could you say that?" Brady demanded angrily at the same time as Claire said "Don't be ridiculous."

"I—I should have found some way to warn you. Somehow."

"Eliza, you couldn't have. Out of everyone here, you are the least at fault," Claire promised. Over her shoulder, I watched as fire consumed the entire living room.

"So, someone has probably already called the fire department and it would be a good idea if we _weren't_ here when that happened. Just a thought," Danny concluded.

"Why exactly did you decide to burn the entire house down?" I inquired.

"Angel, it's a long story," Brady sighed. "Oh, and nice shirt." He nodded his head at my—well, _his_—shirt and smirked.

_Angel. _I knew with everything going on that Brady's little pet name for me and Brady in general should have been the last thing on my mind—Really, how selfish was I?—but I couldn't stop the memories from replaying over and over in my head. Brady's lips, Brady's hands on me, mine on him, our limbs tangled together on the lawn. _Oh, Brady. Brady, Brady, Brady, what am I going to do with you?_

"Okay," I said, hoping to change the subject, "Well, considering that Claire has already bled through a T-shirt I am going to say that getting her to the hospital would be a good idea."

Quil nodded, "That's where we were headed. You coming, Eliza?"

I gave him a _No-Duh _glare and headed toward the Mustang.

"I'm coming, too," Mason said solemnly. It was the first I had heard him speak since coming outside.

"Okay, but if you two boys are walking into the hospital, I think shirts are kind of a smart idea," I informed them, taking off Brady's button down and passing it to Quil. Danny, who also had his black dress shirt from the dance, handed it off to Mason.

So that was how I ended up in the back of Claire's mustang, bruised and shell-shocked, holding on to my bloody sister while two werewolves drove us to the hospital. Overall, the night wasn't as atrocious as I thought it would be.

It was much, much worse.

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><p><strong>Please review! Only 2 chapters of Part II left and I'd LOVE feedback.<strong>


	56. It's a Miserable Life

**A/N: So has it really been almost two months? Uhhh, awkward. End of the year exams, vacations, and the fact that I re-wrote this chapter three times is why it took so long to get it to you and I can't apologize enough. Warning, it's really, reaaaaaally long. That's all I will say for now… Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Claire <em>

"What are you going to wear tonight?" Eliza inquired, leaning against my doorframe.

"Red. 'Tis the season, right?" She smirked at my response.

It was Christmas Eve, four days after ah_… the Accident_. After nearly passing out on the way to the hospital, mostly everything was a blur. I remembered the awful white of a hospital room, several blood transfusions, my father, Sam, and Emily arriving. Apparently I'd suffered a mild concussion on top of the serious blood loss. And then of course there was my collarbone, which now bore the scar of a vampire bite. That was the worst part.

I guess the pack showed up at some point but none of them were allowed in my room. One of the nurses tried to tell Quil he couldn't be in there either, but he'd glared at her so hard that she'd left the issue alone. Then at some point—maybe it was Sunday morning by then—Carlisle Cullen came in and checked on me personally. I was released from the hospital that afternoon and spent the rest of the day at the Cullens'. Apparently The Doctor was just as baffled by my apparent immunity to venom as the rest of us. Was Lilah not venomous for some reason? Or was I a freak of nature?

Monday and Tuesday I was on bed rest. No visitors other than Quil, and even that was after lots of protesting. I wanted to say that Dad was massively over-reacting… that _everyone _was over-reacting… but I couldn't blame them. I suppose I _did _nearly die.

If there was one positive thing that came from the experience, it was the strengthened relationship between Eliza and I. Near death experiences just had the power to bring sisters together.

"I was going to wear green, but you know I really don't think I like that color anymore. I'll probably wear this one gold sparkly shirt I have instead," Eliza shared, though I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or thinking aloud.

I sighed, "Eliza, the only people we'll be seeing tonight are Sam, Emily, Amelia, and Quil. Brady isn't even going to be here, you don't need to worry about dressing in colors he likes or doesn't like or whatever it is that goes through your head when you get ready in the mornings."

"Bitch," Eliza huffed.

Okay, I'll admit mine and Eliza's newfound friendship still had some slight rough patches…

"Well speaking of love lives, when are you planning on talking to Mason?"

I narrowed my eyes at her reflection in the mirror. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know that now that your life isn't in danger there is no way Quil is going to let him come around the house so much. Not when it's so clear how Mason feels about you," Eliza stated like it was the most obvious fact in the world.

"First of all, Mason and I are just friends. He knows that. Second of all, I don't tell Quil who _he _can and cannot see, so he has no right to tell me, either. Mason can come over whenever he wants. That's what friends do."

"And when the friendship means more to him than it does to you? Or does it? I've noticed something these past few months…" She mentioned casually, letting her words drop off.

"And what would that be?" I asked impatiently.

"You look at Mason a lot. Not the way you look at Quil, obviously, but not the way you look at Embry or Seth or Jake either. I think you're attracted to Mason."

If I was drinking anything I would have surely choked on it. "Attracted to _Mason_? Eliza, you really are crazy, do you know that? I love Quil, my boyfriend, soul mate, imprint… ring any bells?"

"I'm not saying you don't love Quil, idiot. I'm just saying that there is a little part of you that you aren't acknowledging that has it bad for the bad boy."

"Do _not _talk to me about feelings Eliza or so help me God I will bring up Brady."

"Yeesh, someone isn't feeling the holiday spirit," Eliza muttered, hopping up from my bed. "Anyway, I originally came in here to tell you that our company will be here within minutes. Be sure you're ready.

"Okay," I told her, focusing on detangling my hair and nothing else. She left the room.

So maybe our new friendship wasn't all roses… so what? It's hard to always be cordial with a sister who didn't have any kind of filter when she spoke.

But what did she mean I looked at Mason a lot? And so what if I did? We were friends. Friends look at each other sometimes. That didn't mean I was attracted to Mason. Being attracted to anyone other than Quil was unfathomable.

Instead of dwelling on that, I turned to the positive. Tonight was Christmas Eve, one of my favorite nights of the entire year. Soon I would get to see Quil again for the first time since breakfast and spend time with my immediate family. It was even supposed to snow. Yes, tonight would be a good night.

I hoped.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

Why couldn't I just go an hour where Brady _wasn't _at the front of my mind? I already felt sick to my stomach at the thought of seeing him next week at the New Years' Eve beach party, the last thing I needed was Claire bringing him up every chance she got. I was trying to do the right thing by both of us! Why did no one understand why I couldn't date Brady? Have they never heard the saying that if you love something you have to set it free? The selfless part of me did it to save him from what would surely be a horrible relationship with a bitchy broken girl, but the selfish part was just too afraid of being hurt by someone else. I would rather hurt myself than let someone else hurt me. That would never happen again. I was not going to let another Thaeo into my life.

But I also sure as hell wasn't going to explain that to the world! _My deepest insecurities and greatest fears are my own damn business thank you very much._ However, I did need to say _something_ to Brady. Something to turn him off of my course before it was too late for the both of us. And I was running out of time. I was falling harder for him with every passing day.

Well, that was another day's mess to deal with. Tonight I would not waste another minute fretting over Brady, I would enjoy Christmas Eve and put off everything till a later date. Much later.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and turned to it. The girl reflected there was lovely at a first glance, with soft pale blond hair framing a delicate and pale face dominated by two mysterious green eyes. But then after a second look you could see the only half-hidden shadows under her eyes resulted from too many sleepless nights, the slight discoloring on her cheek where a bruise was being concealed under layers of makeup, the mixture of fear and pain that lived in those big green pools of her eyes. Her skin, which had always been pale, looked almost sickly so. No amount of makeup and hair styling and clothes could hide the fact that I was not really Eliza. I was an imposter. The real Eliza was the girl I had spent the last four years of my life constructing. The girl who didn't know what pain felt like, the girl who didn't care about anyone or anything, the girl who always had a witty remark to make and gossip to be shared, the girl who knew everything, the girl who was friends with bitches like Camille, the girl who was a bitch herself.

_That _was the real Eliza. The girl with the mask on. I didn't know who this girl was, the one who would barely contain her emotions and always seemed to be on the verge of crying, the one who felt too much, the one whose face always betrayed her, clearly displaying her true feelings. I hated this girl. And soon, very soon, she was going to die.

I turned away from the glass, scrunching my eyes closed as to not see the new Eliza anymore. I couldn't believe that was me. That was just the girl in the mirror. _I am Eliza Young and I know everything. I am Eliza Young and I feel nothing. I am Eliza Young and the world is mine._ I repeated these words over and over, like my own special mantra.

Downstairs, the door opened. "Eliza! Dad!" Claire hollered, "They're here!"

"Be normal, Eliza. You can do this," I muttered under my breath before flinging open the door to my room and making my way toward the stairs.

When I made it down to the front entry, hugs were going all around. I hugged Sam, Emily, and Amelia all in turn and bid each of them a Merry Christmas. My motions felt forced, though, practically robotic. How was I supposed to feel Christmas cheer with all of these knots in my stomach?

"Let's go sit in the living room before dinner, shall we?" Dad suggested. At least he looked happy. With Lilah dead he no longer had to worry about Claire's safety as much. However, this meant he would likely go back to hassling Quil any day now.

Sam, Emily, Dad, and Claire all floated into the living room, maintaining a lively conversation. Amelia remained by the door, peeking out the front windows.

"What are you doing, Melia?" I asked, taking a step closer to her.

"It's supposed to snow tonight. I want to see the first snowflake as it touches the ground," she replied with determination. "Hey Eliza, did you know Santa isn't real?" She added as an afterthought.

"What?"I asked with mock surprise. "Of course Santa is real! Where else could all of the presents come from?"

"Mom and Dad. You know, Liza, I am a big kid, now. I don't believe in silly things like Santa anymore. Magic isn't real."

"Why don't you tell that to all of your werewolf friends like Quil and Embry and Seth," I challenged. She tore her eyes away from the window long enough to stick her tongue out at me and then went back to watching the stillness of the night.

"We have windows in the living room, you know…"

"But what if the first snowflake falls when I'm walking there!" Amelia screeched.

"What if the weather man was wrong and you're standing there all night?" I replied.

"Oh, come on sis, where's your Christmas spirit?" Claire questioned light-heartedly. I turned to find that she had come back to the entryway and was now leaning against the wooden railing of the staircase.

"When have I _ever _had Christmas spirit? You know I could care less about holidays," I gave a bored shrug.

"Really? Because I have a distinct memory of us when we were kids wrapping Quil up in tree garland and calling him a Christmas tree. You even wanted to put presents under him."

I feel my eyes roll, "I was a child."

"And now you are too grown up to ever be happy?" Claire challenged.

I opened my mouth to respond, closed it, and stormed past her, deeply irritated. The other Eliza, the real one, would never let herself get bested in any argument. This pathetic creature clearly had no idea what she was doing. This Eliza was the night to the other one's day.

For the real me, the old me, everything was clear and visible, like the ocean reflecting the summer afternoon sun. But this other side of me—the new one—was constantly in the dark, never knowing what was just two feet in front of her. It was terribly frustrating.

As I stepped past my sister, her hand whipped out and took hold of my wrist. I froze in surprise as she leaned in and whispered harshly at me, "Look, you're not the only one who is growing through stuff, you're just the only one who doesn't understand the meaning of subtle. Pretend to be happy and maybe you won't constantly feel interrogated."

I raised an eyebrow at her and said nothing. After a moment she dropped her hand, smiled, and joined Amelia by the window. I tried to smile, too, and headed into the living room to visit.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

When Quil finally arrived, I should have been relieved. I should have been absolutely overjoyed. Giddy.

Instead, I felt a new knot form in my stomach. A wretched mixture of nerves and… guilt? But what was I guilty for? No, it couldn't have been that.

Okay, that didn't come out right. I _was _thrilled to see Quil of course, but the feeling was tainted… somehow.

"Merry Christmas," Quil said. From his pocket he pulled out a mistletoe and dangled it above our heads, "Don't leave me in suspense," he added with a chuckle.

I smiled and got on my toes to kiss him, earning a grossed out squeal from Amelia, who promptly escaped to the living room to watch those windows instead. Quil didn't notice, dropping the mistletoe and using both of his arms to hold me close. I wanted to melt completely into him, to relish in the feel of our lips moving together, but one corner of my brain prevented that. One errant thought.

_How can Eliza think I am attracted to Mason? _

"Merry Christmas to you, too," I told him, pulling away from the kiss but staying in the same position, so his exhales became my inhales.

"I brought presents for everyone, they're in the truck."

"You're so sweet. I love you." I did. I did love Quil. Wholeheartedly. There was no room for any other guy. So why would Eliza say that? Why? I was going to drive myself crazy.

"Love you too, silly," Quil smirked and, after checking over his shoulder for my father, kissed me once more.

"You should hang that mistletoe over the door," I told him as he pulled away, "It'll add to the atmosphere." _And give me more excuses to kiss you._

"Whatever you say," Quil ran his fingers through my hair once before heading back out the door to retrieve presents.

The evening was basically perfect. Dad wasn't exactly _nice _to Quil at dinner, but he wasn't openly hostile either. Sam and Emily kept everyone in high spirits. And I even caught Eliza smiling for half a second… Which was as happy as I figured she was going to get. The highlight of my night was when it started to snow. Never in my life had I seen Amelia so incredibly happy. Quil and I ventured outside with her and played in the snow, engaging in a snow war while Eliza helped Emily clean up. Dad and Sam talked without the awkward tension that usually existed between them. Everything was wonderful.

But all the while there was that nagging feeling lingering inside of me. Each time I looked at Quil, I thought of Mason, and then felt ashamed for doing it. But I wasn't going to worry about that. Mason saved my life. We were friends. It was okay to think about him.

I was supposed to feel gratitude, not guilt.

Around ten thirty, after the Uleys had already left, Dad regrettably kicked Quil out. "I'll miss you so much, baby," I whispered to him, very aware of my father's watch like a needle in my spine. I figured that with my nosey dad around we would have to settle for a simple hug goodnight, but Quil had other ideas. He cupped my face gently in his hands covered my lips with his. I leaned into him and shut my eyes tightly, hoping that if I focused hard enough my dad would disappear.

"Goodnight, Quil," Dad said impatiently. Quil got the hint, pulling away remorsefully and saying his final goodbyes. "Call me later," he whispered in my ear.

After Quil left I retreated to my room, shedding off my fancy clothes and slipping into sweatpants. I still felt weird and decided that I would wait for Quil to arrive home—which would be any minute—and then go ahead and call him. Maybe he would come over once my dad was asleep and lay beside me all night like he had for the past few nights. As far as I knew, tomorrow he was spending Christmas with Old Quil and Joy at Joy's house forty minutes away. If it were up to me we would spend Christmas just the two of us, as far away from La Push as possible.

The news was _still_ running the story of the unexplained house fire in Forks, and every time I saw it I felt like I may throw up, or worse. I felt like my brain would liquidate and spill out from my ears. Dad only watched the news stories when he thought I was upstairs napping… but I knew they were on. I knew the police and media alike were still discussing possible causes for the house fire.

They didn't know that I had done that.

Lilah's shredded corpse had been incinerated inside those walls. And even though she was dead, things would never be the same. I would never go back to normal, at least, not the normal I was before. A new normal... A new Claire.

Maybe that's why I felt so weird. The girl I was had disappeared. She had burned to death in that house, too. The naïve teenage girl who thought that everything would always be okay because love conquered all seemed so ridiculous now. Love hadn't saved the poor family who used to live in that house. Love didn't save Nora Gomez, who just months ago had been strung from the tree outside my window. Why did I get to live while they did not? I had been Lilah's target, not them. So why did I survive? Why was I more worthy of sitting and breathing and celebrating another Christmas Eve?

A gentle but insistent knocking broke me from my reverie.

"Claire," my father open the door slightly and peeked his head in, "There's someone who'd like to talk to you."

On Christmas Eve at ten o'clock? "Who?" I asked.

"Hey, Claire." Mason stepped into the room. Anxiety twisted painfully in the pit of my stomach. For some reason, I felt the urge to turn to the mirror and fix my hair. To shoo Mason out of the room so I could put my nice clothes back on. I was suddenly hyperaware of my appearance. And panicked. Utterly terror stricken.

What the hell? It was just Mason, so why was I reacting this way? Mason and I were friends. For crying out loud, last week I would have considered him one of my closest and most trustworthy friends. And to back that up, he had saved my frickin' life! If he wouldn't have been there, Lilah would have reached me before Quil could. Without Mason, I could have been a goner. So why was I so nervous to see him? Painfully nervous.

Even though I'll admit it was strange, I couldn't very well send him away. Clearly he came here to talk to me about _something_. I just had to stop acting like a stupid girl and listen.

"Hey," I replied, hating how unsteady my voice sounded. _What the actual hell?_

"I'll be downstairs in my office, if you need me," Dad assured me, closing the door behind him as he left. Wait, my dad was leaving us alone? Behind a closed door? What kind of a father was he, leaving his daughter alone with a boy?

_It. Is. Just. Mason. You're alone with him in your room all the time, remember?_

"You look good," Mason observed, a little smile working its way onto his face.

"I do?" I inquired, feeling my body tense. What was he doing?

"Calm down, Claire. I'm not flirting with you. I meant you look good considering a few days ago you were almost a vampire's dinner."

I relaxed partially, scolding myself for reacting how I was. But I couldn't fight off the nerves building inside of me. My palms gathered moisture.

"Oh, yeah, right. Thanks, I almost forgot about my near death experience."

Mason chuckled and crossed the room, finding his way to the rocking chair in the corner by the window. "I must admit that I've been going kind of crazy worrying about you. The entire pack is. We haven't been able to see you. Other than Quil, of course."

For once, he didn't make a face while saying Quil's name. That counted as progress, right?

"Yeah, my dad is very strict about the no visitors thing. He doesn't want me to tire myself out or something. Which is stupid, people get concussions all the time. But I should have known that he'd let you in. He's always liked you."

"He's a great judge of character then," Mason concluded, but the smile on his face made clear that he was just joking around. "But really Claire, how are you? I can't imagine what this has been like."

"I guess I'm fine… considering," I mumbled, watching the snow fall outside my window instead of making eye contact with him.

"Okay, now tell the truth," he suggested. I tried not to look guilty. Physically, I felt about as good as someone could feel after being attacked by an undead killing machine. My head hurt, my scar on my collarbone still hurt when I moved my neck too much, my body had bruises in random places. But at least all of that was logical. I could deal with that. Emotionally—

Without meaning to, I flashed back to what Eliza had mentioned earlier. _There is a little part of you that you aren't acknowledging that has it bad for the bad boy. _Where had that come from, and how long had she been thinking it? Questions whizzed by so fast I felt dizzy, though maybe that was the concussion's fault. Either way, I couldn't get over the most dizzying question of all. What if Eliza was right?

"I don't know, Mason. Everything is sort of horrible, is that what you want to hear? I feel… different. Like I'm not even myself anymore. Everything is just so… alien." At least this part of me wasn't different, I still trusted Mason enough to tell him anything.

He got up from the rocking chair and started over to me. Slowly, as if to give me a warning, he laid a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off, and threw my arms around him instead. I'd never really hugged Mason before, but it was nice. His arms were warm and comforting like Quil's, but different at the same time. He held me a little tighter—Quil always worried that he was going to literally crush me. At this point I didn't care if Mason ended up crushing me, I just needed the comfort of his embrace.

Neither of us said anything for a minute, we just stood there. Mason ran his fingers through my hair. I thought that it would get awkward after a certain amount of time, but it didn't. Being around Mason was easy. For someone who gave off the persona of being a huge asshole, he really was a good guy. Why he didn't let anyone else see that was a mystery.

"Hey, I never really thanked you… for the other night. You saved my life," I spoke softly into his shoulder. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, though he clearly didn't need it with his body heat to keep him warm. Still, it showed off the definition in his arms and—

_Wait! Am I thinking about his arms? What the fuck? _

Mason's body shook with gentle laughter, and slowly built into laughter so hysterical that he had to release me.

"Why are you laughing? I'm serious," I frowned, smacking his arm.

"It's just," he said in between bouts of laughter, "our lives are so fucked up. Most sixteen years olds are like 'Hey! Your remembered what I wanted for Christmas, thanks!' and then there is us 'You stopped me from being the main course to a bloodsucker, thank you.'"

I smiled just a little bit, in spite of myself, and plopped down on my bed. "Well of course you can joke about it, _you_ didn't almost die."

"I could have died, too. Maybe. Probably not, cause I'm a tough werewolf and all," Mason boasted.

"Oh, will you shut up?" I teased, rolling my eyes.

"Have I ever shut up? Ever?" He sat down on the bed beside me and pulled my legs into his lap. "Now, are you going to tell me why you've been feeling so weird?"

I chewed on my lip momentarily, going over the question again in my head. "If I understood it myself, I would tell you. Everything that used to feel right just feels wrong these days. And the idea of celebrating the holidays and pretending like I'm a normal girl seems kind of ridiculous," I confessed.

"Claire, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure you've never been a normal girl. That's why I like you."

"Why you like like me?" I blurted suddenly. Then, just as suddenly, I slapped my hand over my mouth. Did I really just say that? _Shit. Shit. Shit!_

Mason glanced sideways at me. "I thought we ignored that topic, remember?"

"Why did you save me, Mason? Because Quil is in love with me… or because you are?" I kept my eyes trained on the ground.

Warm fingers gripped my chin and gently turned me to look at them. Mason studied my face carefully. I still couldn't make eye contact. "I saved you for you, Claire. Because you're a person and you're my friend and it was the thing to do under those circumstances. Where is all this coming from?"

I couldn't answer him, because I myself didn't know. "Nevermind. It's nothing, it was stupid. Forget I asked," I mumbled, feeling suddenly mortified.

"Claire," Mason lectured, "friends don't keep secrets."

I looked up at him. _Really _looked at him, unlike before when I stared at him without actually seeing. In fact, I saw him for what felt like the first time ever. There was a little glint in his eyes that I had never noticed before, but one that was very familiar to me. Quil had that look in his eyes a lot, when he would kiss me or hold me or tell me he loved me.

How had I never noticed it sooner? Was my imprint bond with Quil really so intense that other guys' faces were _that_ invisible to me? What everyone said about Mason's feelings were true. There was no denying it now… not when the evidence was plainly before my eyes.

"But… you don't want to be just my _friend_, do you? You want…"

"You?" Mason smirked. "Naturally. Is that why you can't face me?"

I yanked my feet off of his lap, feeling suddenly horribly ill. Why did I have to go there? I'd ruined everything. The old Claire was happy to live in denial and act like Mason couldn't actually be in love with me… but now I knew better. And Mason and I could never go back to the way we used to be.

Because I loved Quil. I loved Quil. Not Mason. Mason was my friend and Quil was my soul mate. I couldn't be friends with the guy who was in love with me. That wouldn't be fair to him or Quil. Had I really been that selfish before, that I would drag Mason along and make him witness me so hopelessly in love with another guy? If so, then I deserved to die back in that house. But I hadn't, so this was my chance to set things straight.

"I think you should leave," I said quietly, my back to him.

"Claire, come on. Please don't shut me out. Nothing has changed, okay? Do I wish you felt the same way? Of course. But you don't and I know that. I've known that since the first time I met you, but that didn't stop me from being your friend. I'd rather be your friend than nothing at all."

"I don't think that would be appropriate." My voice sounded harsh, even to my own ears.

"No Claire," Mason protested. Suddenly, I felt his fingers lock on my wrist, "I'm not losing you. I've lost everyone else in my life who means something to me. I can't lose you, too. String me along, I don't care. If I cared I would have left your side a long time ago. The only time I feel normal—the only time I'm happy is when I'm with you. Yeah, I love you, so what? It doesn't matter."

I sucked in a breath. Everything was on the table now. There was no denying that Mason loved me anymore. And I should have cried, or screamed, or punched something, but I didn't. Instead, I turned and finally met Mason's eyes. He looked more human than I'd ever seen him. His eyes flashed with all kinds of feelings: nervousness, desperation, love. I exhaled in a deep sigh.

"This is never going to work, you know. We can't be friends if you're in—if you feel how you do."

"It's worked so far… mostly. And besides, aren't you the one who's always annoyingly optimistic about everything?"

"That was the old me," I informed him desolately.

"I don't believe that, Claire. You're still you, you're still the same quirky, feisty, and frustratingly stubborn girl you were before, you just have a fucking awesome looking scar now."

Even though I knew I shouldn't, I smiled. A syrupy sweet liquid warmth pulsed through my veins. "Whatever you say, Mason. Whatever you say."

"So… are we cool?"

I honestly didn't know the answer to that. I couldn't imagine being friends with Mason while knowing he was in love with me any more than I could handle not being friends with him at all.

"I need time to think about all of this. Alone time."

"That's fine, I'm patient. But not _that _patient so if you could figure it out soon that would be fantastic," he laughed uncomfortably.

"Let me walk you out," I muttered, crossing the room to the door. Mason got up and followed suit. All was quiet downstairs. Eliza must have been holed up in her room listening to music and Dad's light was on in his office just like he had said.

"So, I'm dying to ask. Are you experiencing any… leech-like symptoms?" Mason asked as we came to a stop at the door.

I rolled my eyes, "Now that you mention it, I ate the mailman this morning. You think that's a sign?"

"Ha ha. I'll take that as a no."

As he opened the front door, I watched with a strange fascination while his muscles tightened and then relaxed. He was very attractive, if I was being honest. Not to say I didn't also find Quil extremely attractive. The fact that I kept comparing Mason to Quil was becoming downright alarming.

"Merry Christmas, Mason," I smiled awkwardly. I wanted to give him another hug but that wouldn't be appropriate, so instead I hung back under the doorframe like an awkward weirdo.

Mason grinned like a little boy, "Look," he indicated above my head, where lo and behond, "Mistletoe, you know what that means, Claire. I guess you'll have to kiss me." For a second I panicked, and then he laughed and it subsided. He was only joking, thank God.

And yet…

Okay, I'm not very proud of myself here. I didn't even understand why I did it, other than momentary insanity. Or maybe the cold was giving me some intense hypothermia that caused people to be utterly delusional.

But I put my hands on either side of Mason's head, got up on the tips of my toes, and kissed him right on the lips.

* * *

><p><em>Mason<em>

She kissed me. At a quarter to eleven or so on December 24th of 2019, Claire Young kissed me. I didn't know why—I'd been only joking of course. Anyone and everyone who knew Claire knew she was head over heels for Quil, the world's biggest and luckiest idiot. But Claire kissed _me_.

At first I had been too surprised to even understand what was happening. And then, when I realized that Claire, the girl I was completely and unrequitedly in love with, was actually kissing me everything turned a wonderful rosy color. After that it didn't really matter _why_ she had done it, I was going to take what she was offering me. Which in this case were her perfect lips.

My hand found its way to the small of Claire's back, coaxing her closer to me. Her scent dominated my senses, making me unreasonably happy. I placed my other hand on the non-injured part of Claire's collarbone, keeping her in my presence as I deepened the kiss. I guess I expected Claire to push away from me at that point, and then run for the hills. (Isn't that what Eliza always did to Brady?) She didn't.

She opened her mouth to me, and I was in Claire Heaven. I had always thought kissing was completely overrated. What was so great about two people's lips connecting and tongues touching? But of course, I had never kissed Claire before. Now I understood that kissing really was as wonderful as everyone else said. I could kiss Claire forever and never get tired of her soft, sweet lips. When the kiss came to an end, I followed it up with several other short kisses on her lips. I was terrified that whatever had just happened between us would be over the second I stopped kissing her, so I was prolonging the inevitable as long as I could.

"Oh my God, what am I doing?" Claire yelped, shoving away from me in horror.

"Uhh, kissing me?" I told her, sounding way more unsure than I wanted to. I knew she wasn't going to leave me for Quil, I wasn't stupid. I was probably going to get kicked out of the house though, after Quil kicked my ass fifty different ways. Worth it? Probably.

She flinched, and I knew that whatever the hell just happened was not intended."You should go now," she breathed, looking despondently at the ground.

"Maybe we should talk about this?" I suggested, feeling really fucking awkward. Maybe I shouldn't have let her kiss me. Or liked it so much. But I also wouldn't take it back if I could. Well, unless Claire decided she never wanted to have anything to do with me ever again.

"No, I think you should leave. Now. Please. And don't come back around," she turned back into the house and shut the door. And for the next minute and a half, I stood there completely dumbfounded.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

What the fuck had I just done?

Once the door was closed behind me, I took the stairs up two and three at a time, not caring if I tripped as long as I got away from Mason as fast as I could.

When I reached my bedroom I calmly pulled the door closed behind me. Then I crossed the room to get the wooden chair that went along with my desk and dragged it over to the door to use as a lock. Almost robotically, I pulled my curtains shut and then dropped onto my bed.

And then I rolled over onto my pillow and finally did what I'd been dying to do since the second I shut the front door.

I screamed. And then I sobbed.

It didn't matter why I did it.

Only that I had done it.

I kissed Mason. I had even liked it for a minute, before I realized just how wrong it was.

Before I realized that I was going to ruin everything.

Because I didn't love Mason, I didn't want to be with Mason. Clearly, I was a little attracted to him, but I was very, very, passionately in love with Quil. I needed Quil.

When Quil found out… he would hate me. Then I would have nothing. _Nothing._

He would never forgive me.

_I_ would never forgive me.

_What a fucking mess you've made for yourself, Claire._

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

"Yeah so my grandparents are here and Mom and Keith of course and last night Travis came over and met them all. Well, Mom already knew him but, it was so awkward, I swear!" Lilly chattered excitedly. I held the phone between my cheek and shoulder while applying a top coat on my freshly painted nails.

"He's just Travis, I'm sure it went fine. It's not like you're dating a thug," I replied, examining my nails for any flaws_._

"Yeah but I've never had a boyfriend before!" Lilly replied.

"So are you and Travis official then? Like really official?"

There was a pause on her end of the line. "I—I guess so. He called me his girlfriend the other day. Yeah, I guess he is my boyfriend," she stated, sounding less energetic than she had just a minute ago.

"Something wrong?" I asked her.

"Nah, I'm fine. Speaking of fine, how're you doing? I've been dying to see you!"

"I'm great. I mean, still a bruise on my cheek, but Emily got me this awesome concealer from the store Monday so no one can even see it. You couldn't even tell it was there when we had family Christmas Eve tonight.

"I hope you told everyone I said hi. I miss you guys. I'll try and come down to La Push on Friday!"

"Okay, great."

"Oh, and Liza?" Lilly added.

"Yeah?"

"I know you won't talk about it, but after Saturday night… and the dance… well… Just don't break Brady's heart—okay? Merry Christmas!" She hung up quickly. My hand clenched, causing my not-yet-dry nails to smudge black polish all over the palm of my hand.

"Damn it!" I chucked my phone onto the bed and started off toward the bathroom for polish remover. I had called Lilly to take my mind _off _of Brady—not to think about him even more.

Since Saturday night I'd received phone calls, had messages written in the frost on my window, and listened to the light clinking of pebbles against the side of the house. I knew Brady was trying to get a hold of me, desperately trying even, but I was too much of a coward to face him yet.

Despite what Lilly said, I would _have_ to hurt Brady. And in order to do that I'd have to basically torture myself. But there was no other option. Either I took the pain now and cut things off before anything too major happened… Or I let this relationship go even further down the road and face a heartbreak so horrible I would never recover. I couldn't afford to let this little love connection go any further.

Almost as if willed into existence just by thinking, my father peeped his head through the door. "Eliza, that Brady kid is here to see you, he claims it is important."

"Don't let him in. Tell him we'll talk later," I informed him, feeling my chest tighten painfully. I was a mess of nervous energy.

"Too late," came a devastatingly familiar voice. And then… Brady. He appeared almost from nowhere, materializing behind my father and promptly scooting around him. "Thank you sir, I'll only be a few minutes," he expressed, smiling politely at my dad. Dad made a _hmph _sort of sound and stalked off, muttering something about how many teenage boys were going to come to the house to talk to his daughters tonight and why they couldn't just spend time with their own damn families. I squirmed uncomfortably.

But Brady clearly didn't notice my discomfort. He smiled warmly, in that contagious way that he does. For a second, I wanted to smile with him, but then I remembered why I shouldn't. Why I couldn't. And I realized this would probably be the last time Brady flashed that beautiful smile in my direction ever. Not if I did what I needed to do.

"Hey, I've been trying to call you for days," he said, making his way across the room with a sort of skip in his step and then leaning in to kiss me quickly on the lips, "How've you been? I've been going out of my mind. I mean, I know that Quil said you were doing fine but… still."

I swallowed and took a small step back. "Brady, I think we need to talk."

He didn't sense my mood clearly, because he was still lit up like a Christmas tree, "I know. I haven't really talked to the rest of the pack about what happened between us Saturday night, what are we supposed to tell them about us?"

_Here goes nothing… _"Us? What us?" I inquired.

Brady's grin faltered momentarily and came back only half as bright. "Well, I mean, you kissed me?" He sounded confused, almost like he was asking me.

"Yeah, so? You kind of saved my life. And then there was the matter of persuading you to go back in there and save my sister…" I felt disgusted with myself as I giggled. "Wait, you didn't think that I actually… Did you think that I had feelings for you? Brady we've been over this."

The smile was dead now—the light gone. I wanted to punch myself in my bruised face… it would probably hurt less.

"Don't do this, Angel. No more hiding from me. Why is it that every time you and I have a moment you shut me out? Why are you lying to both of us?" His face reflected disappointment, but his voice revealed long buried anger.

"I'm not lying," I told him gently, turning to the mirror and fluffing my hair. The more bored I looked and the less I had to meet his eyes the more convincingly I could pull this off. "When I'm kissing you, dancing with you, acting like maybe I could feel something for you, _that _is the real lie, Brady. Here's a lesson for you, I'm not a nice girl. I don't care if I have to step on a few people to get to where I need to go. I've already tried to teach you this lesson, or don't you remember what happened in the forest last July?" The memory washed over me, flooding even the most remote corners of my mind.

How I had wrapped my arms around him, leaned in close so our foreheads touched and our noses just barely brushed each other. How I had dangled myself in front of him while our lips hung just inches apart and then laughed, telling him to never talk to me again. Had I been in love with Brady even back then, unknowingly? Come to think of it, all of this pain in my life had started right around the time Brady decided to kiss me on the beach. Brady caused me more pain than happiness… I was doing the right thing here.

So why did I feel so horrible and twisted inside?

"I remember every time I am with you, Angel. Every minute of every hour… even the minutes that I don't want to remember. Your name is branded into my brain. Into my heart. Stop resisting me." His anger slowly dissipated into pleading. I chewed so violently on my lip that the rusty taste of blood danced over my tongue.

Better… I would have to lie better.

"There's someone else!" I blurted before I could even really consider what I was saying.

Brady's head snapped up, searching my eyes to see if this was the truth. I tried to maintain a perfect poker face. "It's true," I added.

"Who?" Brady's voice was so low I couldn't tell if he was devastated or raging mad. He wasn't looking at me anymore, but staring intently at the wall.

This was my only chance to convince him. I had to make Brady hate me so much that he would never want to speak to me again. "Thaeo," I muttered, despising the rotten taste his name left in my mouth. The idea was preposterous of course, I loathed Thaeo with all of my heart and always would, but Brady didn't need to know that.

"What?" He demanded, and suddenly his hands gripped my shoulders and his face hung just inches from mine. His hold on me was not painful—quite the opposite in fact—but the lividness in his eyes terrified me. "You're kidding, right?"

"After our date last month, Thaeo called me. He got my number from some girl at the Valley School. He apologized for what happened when we were kids and begged me to forgive him. He was young and dumb, he didn't realize what he had until it was gone. I mean, that's not so uncommon, we were little kids practically. I was only eleven. He said he's thought about me constantly for the last four years, that he wasn't able to stop thinking about me. But I'm not a total idiot, you know. I made him work to win my forgiveness. That's why I asked Collin to the dance, and then agreed to go with you when Collin ducked out. I needed him to think he had competition." Brady said nothing, so I continued, having no idea where these wild lies were coming from. It didn't matter at this point if Brady hated me or not, I hated myself more than he ever could. "It all worked out nicely. I saw him yesterday. We got back together, Brady. He's always been the only one for me. All this time. No offense, but you really didn't have a chance. It's nothing personal."

Brady appeared to be torn between crying and punching holes in the wall. I hoped it would be the latter, though. At least anger I could handle.

"I don't believe you, you know."

"Yes you do, Brady. You're just hurt… and acting like a child about it."

"No, you've been lying through your teeth since I got here! You. Care. About. Me. I can't think of any clearer way to say it. And I don't need to! We both know it!"

"You're delusional, you know," I informed him.

"Okay, say you are telling the truth? You really think that douche bag kid _Thaeo_ is the one for you? Did you forget the emotional trauma he put you through? Why is he so much better than me?"

"He's human, for one," I snapped, feeling my chest tighten with pain. "Normal. He's not a few years away from being middle aged but trapped in the body of a teenager."

"That didn't seem to matter to you when you kissed me. Or have _you_ forgotten what happened on the lawn?"

"Damn it, we've been over this wolf boy! Get this through your brain! I was overwhelmed from nearly dying and I needed you to go save my sister. I had to distract you and kiss you or else I would never have convinced you to go back in and rejoin the fight. It's not because I was overcome by some weird passion"—except yeah, I totally was—"and just threw myself at you."

"Stop lying, Angel," Brady begged, "Please stop. You knew exactly what you were doing when you kissed me."

"I am fifteen years old! I don't know anything!" I shouted.

Brady released me from his hold and laughed bitterly. "Oh yeah? What happened to 'I'm Eliza and I know everything' hmm?"

"I know what I can say to manipulate people, I know how to earn forgiveness no matter what I do, I know how to fit in, I know when someone is lying to me, I know how to get what I want, I know when my dad is in a good mood… I don't know a damn thing about _love. _I am an immature teenager! You are a grown fucking man. You don't want someone like me. I _know _we would never work. So give up on us already!" How dare Brady throw my words back at me!

Brady perked up, only slightly, and took one of my hands. "You know when someone is lying to you?" He inquired curiously. "Then you will know that I am speaking the truth when I say that I am in love with you, Eliza. Sure, you can be a real bitch sometimes, and I wish that I could just get over you, but I can't. It doesn't matter if you're difficult, if you're damaged and insecure and afraid. I don't care that everyone thinks you're crazy. I love you and I don't care if my friends think that I am even crazier than you. You're all I can think about. Your big green eyes and your curly blonde hair. You're so beautiful, more beautiful than I think you even realize. And smart, you crack me up without even trying. You make me smile like no one else can, and you make me angry like no one else can. But hey, that's love. I know you think you're weak, but you're so strong. You've been through so much and I know you think it has left you broken and unable to love and be loved but that isn't true. I love you so much. I need you to believe that. And yes, I'm a werewolf but that isn't _all_ I am. I have never loved a girl like I love you, and I don't care what you think. I don't care if you decide to hate me later, because I am going to love you either way."

And there it was. The words that no one could ever go back on. The words that I didn't think anyone would ever waste the time using on someone as horrible as me. _I love you._

It was the most beautiful thing my ears had ever heard. The most wonderful things I could ever imagine being said to me, from the guy I loved more desperately than I ever thought possible… and none of it mattered.

It didn't matter that Brady had made his feelings crystal clear. It didn't matter that everything he said was more than I had ever dreamed of hearing. It didn't matter. In fact, it made things worse.

Because I still had to break his heart.

"Damn you, Brady," I muttered, feeling the tears as they gathered in the corners of my eyes. The lump in my throat felt equivalent to a baseball. "Why did you do that?" I wanted nothing more than to throw a fit. I wanted to kick and scream and sob and punch things until there was no more pain left and I was totally numb.

Brady didn't respond, leaving me no choice but to painfully continue. "Why did you just make such a huge _fool _out of yourself? Why make yourself sound so pathetic and desperate when you _know _that you're more like an overprotective brother to me."

"Do you kiss your brother?" He was sounding more and more hysterical with each passing minute, and I knew he was trying his hardest not to listen to what I was saying to him. But he looked absolutely deflated.

"Look, I don't want to say this, okay. I don't want to do this. Why are you going to make me say it Brady? You really want to know that every time we get close, each moment you believed that maybe, just maybe, I was falling for you was all fake? I use people to get what I want, Brady! It's who I am and what I do! I only look out for myself! I'm selfish! Just _get over me!_"

"What part of 'I am in love with you' is so hard for you to grasp, Liza?"

"All of it! I treat you like shit. The fact that you think you love me is pathetic. _You, _Brady, are pathetic! Thaeo would never make such an idiot out of himself."

"Thaeo is not your soul mate and you know it, Angel," Brady told me, taking my face in his hands and holding me with gentle firmness. "I love you more in a day than he can in a lifetime."

If I heard Brady tell me he loved me one more time I was literally going to strangle him. Anything to make the pain stop.

"Has it ever occurred to you that we're not soul mates? If we were wouldn't you have imprinted on me? But you didn't—so there! Case closed!"

Brady's face changed so suddenly he almost seemed to be laughing. Shit, I shouldn't have mentioned imprinting. "Is that what this is about? You won't give me a chance because I didn't imprint on you and you're afraid of turning into Leah. Who says that has to happen? Not every wolf imprints, Eliza! Look at Seth! And almost the entire pack! Imprinting is the exception, not the rule. It doesn't mean I love you any less."

_Okay, that's it!_

I tore myself out of his hands and slapped him away. "Just shut up, Brady! Stop trying to put words in my mouth! Shut up! Shut up!" How the hell could he see right through me? I didn't know what else I could say to make him hate me. "I. Don't. Want. To. Love. You. Okay? I don't want a werewolf. I hate werewolves even more than I hate vampires! All you do is hurt the people you are trying to protect! They're the ones to get hurt! Not you! Why would any girl want to date someone like that?" At least this part wasn't a complete lie. I hated that Brady was magical. I hated his werewolf side. I hated the fact that as long as he was a werewolf, he could imprint. He could forget that he ever felt this way about me… but I would never get over him. There was no way out of this for me. I was so screwed. The tears were on the brink of spilling over.

"I'll stop phasing! I'll stop being a werewolf!" Brady's eyes started to look a little wet themselves. It was too much for me to handle.

"Leave," I commanded, shoving at him with my arms. I couldn't cry with him watching! He could _not_ see me cry over him.

"But Eliza—"

"Please leave," I pleaded softly.

"Eli—"

"LEAVE!" I yelled with all of the anger I could muster. "Get the fuck out of my house and do not come back. Leave me alone. Stay the hell away from me, I'm serious. And see a counselor, cause you're a stalker."

For a second he looked like he was going to try to protest again, but he didn't. Instead, Brady exhaled slowly and walked toward the door, his face completely blank. He yanked the door open and then turned back to face me one last time. "Have it your way, Eliza. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life."

Then he was gone… and the floodgates opened up. I let them fall as silently as I could manage until I heard the front door shut downstairs (or slam, rather). Then I let it all out, and by the time I hit my mattress my body was already racked with pained ugly sobs.

I wasn't sure if it was a few seconds or a few minutes when I noticed Claire standing over me. I didn't say anything, and neither did she, but with one look I knew we understood each other perfectly. With that, she sat down and pulled me into her arms. She did not ask what had happened, and I did not ask if she had overheard. Instead I sat and cried all of my makeup from my face onto her shirt while she quietly reassured me that everything was going to be okay.

"Just let it out, Eliza, just let it out." Her voice sounded slightly off, and when I looked up it seemed like maybe she was crying herself—but my eyes were too blurred with tears to be sure.

"I hate myself, Claire. I really do," I choked out, surprised that I was allowing this to happen. I shouldn't be crying on my sister any more than she should have been crying on me. I definitely shouldn't be showing so much vulnerability around her… yet here we were.

"Me too, Liza," Claire choked, and I was sure she was crying now, although I had no idea why. "Me too," her last words came out as only a strangled whisper.

"You want to talk about it?" I asked softly.

"Not at all," she murmured.

"Me either."

"Oh, and Liza, one more thing," Claire said, stroking my hair.

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas," she told me. I snorted in spite of myself. The alarm clock beside my bed read 12:01. December 25th.

"Merry fucking Christmas, sis."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Pt. 2 aka "Don't Kill Me!": So I know things look rough right now, but have a little faith. Things aren't always as bad as they seem. Oh, except sometimes they are. (I know I'm trolling, sorry! Okay, well not really sorry because if I were I wouldn't be trolling in the first place but…) Anyway, I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this chapter so—REVIEW!**


	57. And a Happy New Year

**A/N: Long time, no see. This chapter was a real challenge to write, and I've also been working on some original writing which is distracting me, but I am so happy to finally share with you the final (very long) chapter of Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two.**

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Seven days of avoiding Quil. Seven days of avoiding everyone. Somehow I had managed to keep Quil away from me for an entire week. Dad told him I got sick playing out in the snow and that he didn't want Quil coming around because I really just needed the rest. I don't know if Quil believed that or not, but he didn't have much of a choice. I still didn't know what I was going to say to him. Or Mason. Or anyone, really. This was all such a fucking nightmare.

Even though I tried not to think about it, the kiss seemed to be all that was on my mind. It was just a single stupid kiss, lips touching other lips, and it was going to ruin everything. Quil would never trust me again, my friendship with Mason was destroyed, if we could even work through this, Quil would never really get over it, and any progress made between Mason and Quil was gone. One step forward and a million steps back. When Quil found out—because I could only assume he still didn't know—about the kiss, Mason would be out of a home. No mother, no home, no friendship with me. I was an idiot. A stupid, stupid, fool. I kissed Mason, not the other way around, but he was going to suffer for it. And Quil was going to suffer too. And me, well… I sure as hell was suffering. But at least _I_ deserved it.

I had that mindset for days after the kiss. That I was a life ruiner, that Quil and I were as good as done, that everything was such shit that there was no way to fix it. Until yesterday. Yesterday I'd done something, something that maybe I shouldn't have done, but something that needed to be done. And it had made me realize a few things. Everything wasn't hopeless. I could fix this.

Avoiding the pain was not the solution, I had to face it. I would never get Quil back by holing myself up in my room. I wouldn't patch things up with Mason by never speaking to him again. Maybe I wasn't the most religious girl in the world, but I knew this much… That there was a reason I didn't die in that house with Lilah. There was a higher power watching over me, the same higher power that brought me to Quil. I didn't get a chance to live so I could lose the love of my life. Mason didn't save me so I could go and mess up everything he had been working at. I didn't live so I could stay in my room forever and wallow in self pity. Today was the last day of the year, and I was not going to move into the next one with all of this shame and sadness. I was going to make things right.

I had to.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

"So, you ready to go out tonight?" Claire asked. I sat up in bed to find her leaning against my doorframe. I blinked at her twice and then laid back down, pulling my blankets over my head.

Had it really been a week? It was New Year's Eve already? Damn it.

"You have to go, Eliza. We both do. But uh, maybe you should shower first." Her voice sounded closer. Why was she in my room? I would tell her to get out, but that would involve talking. I buried my face in my pillow and groaned.

"Look, I don't know what happened. You don't want to talk about it and I get it, trust me, I _really_ get it, but you have to face the world eventually. Or at least face the kitchen, or something. You weren't at breakfast this morning, or dinner last night."

I knew Claire was just trying to help me, but I really didn't want her help. Or anyone's help. I wanted to stay in bed forever and mope about Brady. I never wanted to talk to another boy ever again, and that included Dad. I didn't even want to talk to Claire. Even though I knew she had problems that she wasn't talking about too, somehow she was able to pull herself together. I envied her. She had mentioned to me yesterday about the visit she had paid, and what she had done. I knew she kissed Mason. Or done something with him. She hadn't said anything about it, but it was written all over her face with thick black Sharpie. But Claire, being the strong and determined girl that she was, had still refused to completely shut down. Although for most of the week she had been even more of a zombie than me, that was over now. She had something to hold on to, she had hope that she could fix things.

I had no such thing. Because unlike Claire, what I had done was no mistake. I got what I wanted, I managed to make Brady hate me. Of course, that only made me hate myself even more than I already did. I never knew that getting what I wanted would be quite so horrible. But I had to get used to it, because this was my life now.

And I _would_ get used to it… by never leaving the house. Maybe Dad could hire me a private tutor. A female one. And I could grow up and work from home. Maybe I'd even get a cat, or seventeen cats! And we would all live in my bedroom, the end.

"Liza, staying under your blankets and ignoring me isn't going to get me out of your room. In fact, it's just making me realize how much I need to stay _in _your room. Bottling all of this up really isn't healthy. And staying in the same clothes for a week and not showering really isn't hygienic."

"Jesus, I will shower and change if you just shut up and leave me alone, okay?" I snapped, pulling back my bedcovers only slightly to glare at her.

"And you have to come to the beach party tonight. I'm making you."

"No," I told her firmly, "No way."

"Look, I heard you and Brady arguing through the wall. I didn't hear all of it, but I know that if you want him to believe that you really don't care about him, staying in the house and crying into your pillow is not the best way to convince him, so get your sorry ass out of bed."

"Bitch," I mumbled, shoving past her and toward the door. My feet tingled on the hardwood. I'd barely used my feet the past week, unless I was going to the bathroom or eating. Although honestly, I'd kept the eating down to a minimum.

"We're leaving at ten," she told me.

I went across the hall to the bathroom without looking at her and locked the door behind me. I turned the shower on all the way to hot and then flinched as I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Despite all the time I'd spent in bed, dark circles ringed my eyes from too many sleepless nights. My hair had officially earned the title of nest. My skin looked yellowish and sickly. My eyes were red.

_What was that you said about being beautiful, Brady?_

Oh God, _Brady_. He would undoubtedly be at the stupid New Year's party tonight. I was barely ready to face my reflection, how the hell was I going to face him?

_The same way Claire is going to face Mason. And Quil. _

Not for the first time in my life, I wished I could be more like Claire. She may have been a weak human girl, but that didn't matter to her. She looked death in the eye and didn't fear it. If Lilah were after me, Claire would have never lured me into a trap like I did for her. She always put others first. Even when she herself was hurting. Even on days like today when my problems were no greater than hers. She tried to help me regardless.

I tried to be more like Claire, I really did. I didn't want to be selfish. That's why I gave up Brady. I wanted to be brave, and that's why I was going to put on my big girl pants and go to this party.

As long as I didn't have to look or talk to anyone, of course.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

By the time Dad, Eliza, and I arrived at the beach, nearly everyone was there. And I mean _everyone. _The whole pack, their families, their girlfriends, the former pack, their families. Even Jake and Nessie made an appearance—although who knew how long _that _would last. When everyone noticed our arrival, we were swarmed with hugs. No one outside of the Uleys, Quil, and Mason had seen me or Eliza since the Lilah Incident, and everyone felt the need to hug me and tell me how much they love me and how glad they all were that I was okay. I tried to put on a smile, to act like I hadn't spent most of the week crying because I cheated on my boyfriend with his enemy. Eliza on the other hand had no intention of putting up a front. She didn't smile or laugh or join in on the conversation like everything was okay. This was Eliza unmasked, something never before seen in public. No one commented on it, and I knew they knew what I did. That Eliza and Brady had had their worst falling out yet. And like me, they probably all knew something else, that Eliza was just as heartbroken as Brady, because she was in love with him. Seeing Eliza so vulnerable in public felt wrong, like seeing a teacher outside of school. No matter how many times it happened, it felt awkward. I scanned the crowd once, looking for Brady, but he had disappeared. Instead my eyes landed on someone else. Quil.

_ Oh God. _I knew I'd made up my mind to fix things, but actually seeing him made me want to crawl right back into my bed and wallow in self pity for a few more years. When our eyes met, his face lit up and he dashed toward me, shoving everyone out of the way and throwing his arms around me. Before I could even react he was kissing me. I literally felt like the guilt was going to consume me as Quil held me in his arms. Once he learned the truth, he would probably never want to kiss me again.

_Don't think like that!_

"How are you feeling? Your dad said you were sick, he was afraid you were getting pneumonia. Are you sure you're okay to be outside?" He asked, always the concerned boyfriend. Why did I ever kiss Mason? I had Quil, and Quil was all I wanted. All I needed. Quil was everything.

"I'm fine, the snow is all gone anyway, and it's a beautiful night," I assured him, hoping my voice sounded normal.

"Of course it's beautiful, you're here," Quil smiled, kissing me again. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," I told him, my throat feeling tight.

Concern flashed in Quil's eyes. "Is something wrong? You look like you're going to cry."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied, "I just missed you, that's all."

"I missed you too, baby. I was worried about you."

"You lovebirds make me sick!" Embry teased, running by and slapping Quil on the back of the head.

"I'm gonna kill you, Call!" Quil yelled.

"Yeah, if you can catch me, bro!" Embry hollered, speeding down the beach. Quil laughed and chased after him, leaving me alone in a group of my friends.

"So Claire, don't think your little concussion is getting you out of my class," Paul informed me, wagging a finger in front of my face.

"Paul," Rachel scolded, slapping her husband's arm, "Claire can't participate in gym with a concussion. Be reasonable."

"Fine, then Mason can run for the both of you, can't you Mason?" Paul inquired to someone behind me. I whipped around and there he was. Mason. I swallowed hard. He was handsome, _of course_ he was handsome. Maybe part of me had felt attracted to him way deep down that night. But that didn't mean I should have kissed him. He was Mason, my friend. He would never be more than that. I saw that now, hell I had _always_ seen that. Kissing him had been nice for a moment, I wasn't going to lie, but it had also shown me something important: One million kisses from Mason could never even equal one kiss from Quil. Quil was the one for me, there was no doubt in my mind. I knew I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Even if he didn't forgive me, I would never kiss another guy who wasn't Quil again.

But first—"Mason, can we talk? Alone?"

* * *

><p><em>Eliza <em>

Hell. Hell. Hell. Hell.

I hadn't even _seen _Brady and I was in hell. Lilly was annoyed that I hadn't talked to her all week and everyone who was stupid enough to try and start a conversation with me wanted to talk about what happened at the house with Lilah. I wasn't even wearing any makeup today—what was the point?—and my bruise was an ugly yellowish color on my face. I'm amazed anyone even recognized me. My hair was a mess of curls, I wore a hoodie and jeans that were so worn they could hardly be considered blue. Most importantly, I wore no disguise today. I didn't pretend like everything was okay. It wasn't. Nothing would ever be okay. After tonight I was going right back to my bed and this time I really wasn't leaving.

"So were you and Claire both sick?" Lilly interrogated as we sat around the bonfire.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I still feel like I might throw up."

"I thought you caught a cold, not the flu," Lilly reminded, sounding suspicious.

I simply shrugged. So what if she knew I was lying? What was the point anyway?

"Or maybe she's just sick with herself, you know, for being such a vile bitch," Collin sneered. He was seated by Seth and Annie a few feet away. I didn't make eye contact with him, but felt his glare burning my skin. Of course he knew what went down between Brady and I. I would be surprised if there was a person here who _didn't_ know. Apparently my love life—or lack-there-of—with Brady remained a source of gossip for everyone.

"Shut up, Collin," Annie reprimanded, shoving his arm. She didn't need to say that. It was true, I was a bitch. A heartbreaker. Everyone here saw me as the villain. They didn't understand that I was only doing what I had to do. I just wanted to prevent a future heartbreak even further down the road, when I loved Brady even more desperately than now. But of course nobody possibly knew that. They thought I was a selfish monster who enjoyed playing with Brady's emotions.

Well, not everyone thought that. There was always Annie. When it came to knowing everything, Annie put me to shame. She literally could decipher almost anything about a person with a glance. One look into your eyes and she could know all of your insecurities, the secrets you kept locked away, your past, your present. Her yellow eyes saw all. Annie knew I loved Brady. There probably wasn't a single secret here that could be hidden from Annie. But despite all of the information she knew, all the secrets she harbored, she never told a soul. Annie didn't think it was right for one person to know so much. Unfortunately, her gift was not one that could be taken back or discarded.

"Really Collin, what's got you in such a sour mood?" Renesmee added, appearing from practically nowhere and plopping down beside me. Great, did Renesmee know too? Or did she just feel bad for me because my life would never be as perfect as hers? Claire and Renesmee were great friends, they always had been. Of course they had been. They were both child imprints. They had perfect little lives with their perfect little werewolf boyfriends always watching over them. They would spend the rest of their perfect little lives with their perfect little imprints and celebrate their stupid perfectness. Oh, and Lilly would join them. In a few years, Lilly would join their little posse and they would all live perfect little lives together. Maybe they'd be neighbors and their perfect little werewolf children could grow up and be best friends, just like their husbands were.

Meanwhile, my cats and I would live a life between the same four walls. My nieces or nephews would grow up hearing horror stories of their Auntie Eliza, who never left her room and consumed large amounts of chocolate ice cream. Oh yeah, and I'd be really fat, too. No guys for me. I was too poisonous and rotten to be around guys. I wouldn't even have male cats.

"Did I ever tell you the difference between Eliza and a vampire?"

"Give it a rest, Collin," Renesmee sighed.

"Well you see, one of them is a crazy bloodthirsty bitch without a conscience, and the other is a vampire," Collin explained anyway.

I couldn't stand to sit there a second longer. I already knew I was a horrible person, I didn't need Collin constantly reminding me. Wordlessly, I stood and turned my back to the small group, practically running in the opposite direction of the party as thick hot tears threatened to spill over. Great, I was going to let Collin make me cry? Fucking fantastic.

"Eliza!" Annie called, sounding close behind me. What part of my getting up and running away to go cry implied I wanted company? Seriously!

"I don't want to talk," I mumbled, walking even more rapidly.

"Of course you don't want to talk, but I think we should," she said, finally catching up to me. I quickly tried to wipe my tears but it was pointless. Even if she couldn't see them she could surely smell their salt. This was mortifying.

"I really, _really_ don't feel like talking discussing this, Annie. Shouldn't you of all people understand that?"

"I completely understand, which is why we need to talk about this, Eliza. Come on, let's go somewhere private." She led me so far down the beach that the huge bonfire was just a little glowing dot in the distance before coming to a stop. "We'll be out of hearing over here," she concluded, taking a seat on the chilly sand. I did the same, even though I didn't want to. It's not like I could outrun a vampire.

"I know why you're afraid, Eliza," Annie whispered, pulling her knees up to her chest and staring out into the ocean. I wonder how far into the horizon a vampire could see. Could she spot fishing ships way out at sea? If so, could she swim me over to one and leave me there to die?

"You may know everything about me, but don't act like you truly know me, Annie. You have no idea—"

"What it's like to be a teenage girl totally in love with a werewolf who didn't imprint on her and to have a best friend who is imprinted? Is that what you were going to say? You're right, how could I _possibly _have any idea what that feels like?"

"Don't try and compare us, Annie. You and I are nothing alike."

"Eliza, I don't think we've ever actually talked much. How much do you know about my transformation and first years as a vampire?" Annie asked.

"I know that you knew Renesmee before you were turned. And then one day she was in Seattle and she caught your scent and found you bleeding in an alley. Your parents were dead and you had been shot. Her and Edward put you into their car to drive you to the hospital, but they weren't going to make it in time, so Edward bit you. Then you met Seth, and after getting over the urge to kill him you fell in love."

Annie laughed, "When you say it that way, it sounds like it happened to another girl. Sometimes I feel like it did, to be honest. It was all so scary and overwhelming. I was only fourteen you know, and I lost my parents. I lost everything. And then there was the burning, the horrible, agonizing burning while the venom coursed through my veins. I never thought I'd feel pain worse than that. Until I met Seth. Seth never treated me like a vampire, you know. Even though I tried to rip his throat out and kill him, he wanted to be there for me. He says he fell for me while I was still young and feral. He saw the girl behind the thirst. He helped me learn that I didn't have to be a monster just because everyone thought I ought to be. And I loved him for that. I loved him so fiercely that the idea of losing him became my biggest fear. I really loved Seth, and he really loved me, but I knew that it didn't matter how much I loved him. No matter how much I adored him, he could always imprint and forget all about me. He still can." She was staring off into the ocean with a great sadness in her eyes that I had never seen before.

"How do you stand that? Why aren't you afraid anymore?" I wondered, looking at her and really seeing her for the first time. She was just a girl, even younger than me.

"I stand it because I have to. Am I still afraid of losing him? Yeah, I'm terrified. But just because he can imprint, doesn't mean he will. Love is a risk for everyone. I'm willing to risk getting my heart broken for the rest of eternity if it means I can have this one day with Seth. That's how I deal. I take every day and love Seth as much as I can. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve, I wear it on his. Right now I love Seth and Seth loves me. That's all that matters. Sure, we'll never be Jake and Nessie, but so what? Eliza, you can't be so afraid to get your heart broken that you break your own heart."

And suddenly, I understood. Every piece of the puzzle that I wasn't even aware I was working through clicked together to form one massive picture. Being a vampire may have made Annie strong, but she wasn't invincible, and her heart was as fragile as ever. She may not have a heartbeat, but her heart could be broken just as easily as mine. None of this stopped Annie from being with Seth, for loving him with all of her heart. Some things are worth risking everything for. The eternity of heartbreak for the day of happiness.

"But—but I'm no good for Brady. I love him, you know that, of course. I love him so much it hurts, but that doesn't mean I deserve to be loved by him. I'm just not… good enough."

"I know about Thaeo, hon. He's an idiot. Honestly, I kind of hate you. I'm the vampire and somehow you're _still _prettier than me. You and Lilly and Claire are all gorgeous. And you're also a genius, or so I hear. I know they don't act like it, but the entire pack adores you. You're like their sister. Collin especially, but you would never know that tonight with how he's been acting. He's just disappointed in you because he has so much faith in you, and I guess you let him down my breaking his best friend's heart."

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. I broke Brady's heart, another reason we shouldn't be together," I sighed. For a supposed pep-talk, I wasn't feeling any better. Annie was clearly insane. She was one of the reasons I had low self esteem and _I _was the pretty one? Why would a vampire think _I _was pretty? Annie was unfairly beautiful, with her long black mane of hair and her perfect complexion that only a vampire could have. She wasn't quite as pale as the others though, because of her Spanish heritage.

"The point I am trying to make is that you, Eliza Young, are an amazing girl. Obviously you have to be amazing for Brady to fall in love with you. He's not stupid, you know, if he were he would have fallen for that annoying little nasally bitch, Candace."

"You mean Camille?"

"Yeah, your friend who isn't your friend. The moody brunette. If Brady really fell for crazy bitches, he would be moping by himself because of _her._ But he isn't. He's moping over you because you are the most spectacular girl he's ever met and he is head over heels in love with you. And you know what, Liza? You love him, too. You're both miserable and you would both feel better if you just told him how you feel already. So stop taking Collin's shit, stop treating yourself like shit, and go get your man before I go get him for you."

"I can't, he hates me after I told him I'm dating Thaeo."

Annie just laughed, "Hon, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Brady couldn't hate you if you chained him by the neck to the back of your dad's car and dragged him down the freeway. Now stop talking to me and start talking to him!"

"I—I don't even know where he is," I told her honestly.

"You know where to find him," Annie reassured me.

"No, I don't! And even if I did I can't possibly face him after last week!"

"You can and you will. Don't make me drag your little human ass over there."

"No, Annie! I couldn't possibly—"

"GO!" Annie ordered.

My shoulders sagged and I sighed. "You're very bossy, you know that?"

"I think this may be the start of a wonderful friendship," Annie grinned.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

Mason and I walked down the beach in silence for a few minutes, maintaining a distance of at least three feet. The air was so thick with tension that I felt as if I could actually reach out and grab it. That I could take it in my hands and try to squash it inside my fist. If only it were that easy.

"I know what you're going to say… you don't have to say it," Mason mumbled just as the tension became so heavy I feared that it was going to be the one squashing _me_.

"Yes, I do. Kissing you was a mistake. A gigantic mistake. I never should have done it."

Mason's shoulder's fell, but he didn't look surprised. "I know. You love Quil."

"I love you, too," I told him weakly, as if that made things any better for him. "I love being around you."

"Yeah, but you're not _in love_ with me," he explained.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, looking out into the inky colored ocean. It would be so easy to just tie some weights to my feet and wade out there. To vanish into the deep dark Pacific. Though, I could never picture myself _actually _doing that. Not considering almost drowning as a kid.

But If I couldn't fix things with Quil, well… Clearly I was full of surprises.

"Don't be sorry, Claire. You have no reason to be sorry. You've known Quil your entire life, and even though I don't like him, he worships you. And I know you feel the same way about him. I shouldn't have let you kiss me, Claire. I could have stopped you. It would have been the right thing."

Whatever response I was expecting Mason have from this conversation, this was certainly not it.

"You shouldn't have had to stop me, though. I don't even know why I would—do that. I've been trying to figure it out all week and it's driving me insane," I confessed. "The thing is, I never wanted to be right about you. Everyone told me you were this huge asshole, and I wanted more than anything to believe them. But I didn't. And you're not an asshole, you know. You're a great guy. One day there's going to be a girl who—"

"Oh come on, Claire. Don't give me the 'one day I will meet a girl who loves me like I deserve' speech. That sounds like you're breaking up with me. I am a man, and men do not get dumped by girls they never even dated."

I rolled my eyes, "I take it back, maybe everyone else _was _right about you." He laughed.

"So… friends?" He asked.

I shrugged, "I dunno. Time will tell, I guess. Right now I kind of need to go find my boyfriend and beg shamelessly for his forgiveness so… yeah." Drowning myself was starting to sound better and better.

"Claire, I want to tell you something, but don't expect me to ever say it again, okay?"

I nodded, confused.

"I was wrong about Quil. He's a good guy. He's a good person, and he's a good guy for you. Even though I'm jealous as hell, you guys are like, the perfect two for each other. I've seen you deal with a lot of shit since I met you and he's always been there for you. He really, _really_ loves you, Claire. He's going to forgive you."

I smiled slightly, looking up into the heavens. Maybe my plan to force Mason and Quil together hadn't been a complete failure after all. _Take that, pessimists!_

"Mind you, he'll probably hate me even more. You don't suppose your dad will let me take the guest room?" He joked lightly.

I couldn't help but smile, so widely I thought my mouth was going to tear. "Actually, I have a better idea. Follow me," I told him, grabbing his wrist and racing back down the beach toward the party.

* * *

><p><em>Eliza<em>

If anything, at least Annie was right about one thing: I did know where to find Brady. As Annie made her way back to the fire and the party, I walked the opposite way. Following the curves of the shore and heading into a cluster of trees that came further up the beach than anywhere else. Inside the circle of trees was a circle of sand that next to no one ever actually went to—other than Quil and Claire of course. Ever since Claire was young, this had been their special spot. But that wasn't the only thing it was. This was also where Brady kissed me for the first time. He would be here, I knew he would.

I took a deep breath and stepped through the trees. He was there, sitting on the sand just far enough that the waves crashing on the shore didn't reach him. The moon illuminated his skin, but I couldn't see his face. He was looking out into the ocean, his back to me. My body shook violently with nervous energy and I actually felt like I may pass out. I couldn't do this. I couldn't. No. I couldn't possibly—

Brady stiffened, and I knew he was aware of my presence. He didn't say anything though. I was being very obviously ignored. I took a step back, preparing myself to turn and run—to not stop till I was curled up in my bed. But I was pretty sure that Annie wasn't lying about telling Brady if I didn't. I was trapped.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked, hating how shaky and panicked I sound. I couldn't help it! How the hell was I supposed to tell Brady I was in love with him after all I had put him through? And what if he really did hate me now?

"No," he answered harshly, still not looking at me, "your message was received last time. You win, okay? Just leave me alone."

"No, Brady, I really, _really _need to talk to you," I choked, feeling hot tears forming in the corners of my eyes. Brady must have noticed, because he angled his body and gazed up at me with concern. _How can he still worry about me after all the shit I put him through?_

"What's wrong?" He asked, standing and crossing over to me. My tears spilled over—I had tried to choke them back too many times around him, and I couldn't anymore, I was too weak—and I covered my face in embarrassment. He gently pried them away and stared into my eyes. "If you're here to apologize for not feeling the same way, you don't have to. I mean, I can't force you to love me," he brushed a tear away from the corner of my eye and my whole body quivered with pleasure. His presence was very distracting.

I shook my head, trying to cover my face again. He didn't release my hands, so I just put my head down and refused to look at him. I couldn't. _Ugh, I am about to make such an ass of myself. I can't do this. I can't._

_ JUST DO IT ALREADY! _My heart seemed to scream.

_NEVER SHOW EMOTION! _My brain argued back.

"I am so sorry, Brady," I whispered trying to swallow my tears. "I _do _need to apologize to you, but not for what you think. I'm sorry for hurting you, I really am. I didn't want to. But—but that's not all. I've been lying to you. About a lot of things."

"What kind of things?" Brady asked softly, running his fingers through my hair. It was back to curls now. I hadn't had the motivation to flat iron it this past week—what was the point? I wondered if Brady still liked my hair after everything that had happened.

"Well, for one, I'm not dating Thaeo," I admitted, sure my face was turning bright red. "I hate his guts, I would never date him again. Oh, and I was really jealous of Camille at my birthday party when you two kissed. I wanted to kill both of you. And when I kissed you on the lawn, it wasn't because I was trying to manipulate you, I was just experiencing a severe lack of restraint. I've acted like I don't care about much of anything for years. That's a huge lie. I love Sam and Emily, I love Amelia and Claire and my dad, I love Lilly. Hell, I even love Quil and Collin and Embry and everyone else in the pack. And I love—" I broke off, unable to finish my last sentence, and tore away from Brady.

_I can't do this, I can't do this. _I felt a mild panic attack coming on.

"Eliza?" Brady asked uncertainly. My back was to him now and I was frantically wiping my tears away. He placed a hand on my shoulder and my entire body tensed.

"No, I can't do this," I whispered without meaning to. "I really can't."

He swung me around and placed his hands on either side of my face, gently forcing me to look at him. He studied my face carefully. "What can't you do? What's wrong?"

"Everything is wrong," I muttered. "My heart is racing and I feel sick inside. I'm terrified, Brady. _You _terrify me. What you make me feel is new and it scares me. I feel out of control and erratic when I'm around you, and that scares me too. I never know what's going to happen, what you're going to do, what I'm going to do…"

Brady went dead silent, staring at me with mild surprise.

"I'm not really good at this," I admitted, looking down at my shoes, "I mean, this is uncharted territory for me. I told myself after Thaeo I would never put myself through this again and here I am… And this is so much different than Thaeo. I hate it. I feel weak, but at the same time strong. I never knew that could happen, that someone could make you feel vulnerable and invincible at the same time. But you do that to me."

I broke away from him again and attempted once more to cover my face. "This is mortifying," I announced, my voice muffled by my hands.

"It's just me, Eliza. You don't have to be embarrassed, just say what you're trying to say," Brady told me, his voice giving none of his thoughts away.

I peeked at him from between my fingers. He was watching me intently, his eyes reflecting so many different feelings I felt dizzy. He stood so close to me I could feel the heat radiating off of his skin. It was so deliciously warm I just wanted to curl up against him and never leave. But I couldn't—not yet. I needed to tell him how I felt, without sounding like a crazy person like I probably did right now. Then I would likely have to beg for forgiveness for lying to him and pray he didn't hate me too much.

"You're really infuriating, you know," I accused. He chuckled and pried my hands away from my face, holding them in his.

"_I _am the infuriating one?" he replied with a smirk.

"Yes! You are! Because even when I told you to leave me alone, that I wasn't interested, that you'd be better off without me, you wouldn't give up on me. And then even though I didn't want to, even though I tried so hard not to, you made me lo—_no_. I can't say it."

"I'm confused, just tell me what you're trying to say," he pleaded. _Great, this boy really is going to make me say it. Fucking great. _

_ Take a deep breath and say it._

"I love you, okay? You win, I'm in love with you."

Brady laughed, "I know."

I frowned. That _certainly_ wasn't the response I'd been expecting. "What do you mean you know?"

"Well, for one, everything you just said made it pretty obvious. But Liza, come on. Have you not been listening to me for the past five months? How many times have I told you that you were in love with me?" He laughed again, pulling me flush against him and capturing my lips.

But I wasn't satisfied. I pushed off of him, "But what about last week? I broke your heart!"

Brady laughed again, stroking my hair. "No you didn't. I just realized that the only way I'd get you to admit to loving me was if you believed that you had actually succeeded in making me not love you anymore. It worked."

_What? _"But—but you left. And you were so upset and—and—"

"And what? You're the only person allowed to lie, Angel?" He teased.

"I can't believe you!" I stomped hard on his foot, white-hot anger coursing through me. "I spent the last week miserable in my room because of you and you weren't even heartbroken! You knew I was lying! You're despicable!"

"Welcome to the last five months of my life," he smiled wickedly, kissing me again.

"I hate you," I growled.

"No you don't, you love me, remember?" His smile turned from mean to absurdly happy between one second and the next.

"Oh, shut up," I said, but I was smiling, too.

"Say it again," he pleaded, pulling me back into his arms.

"I love you," I muttered.

"You can do better than that, Angel."

"I, Eliza Young, love you, Brady Fuller, even though you are a colossal jerk. There, satisfied?"

"Eh, still needs some work. But I love you, too. I guess you already know that."

"Even though I drive you crazy?" I asked, unable to ignore my growing ridiculous joy.

"_Because _you drive me crazy," he informed me before his lips found mine once again. "I love how you drive me crazy."

"So now what?" I asked, feeling random hysterical laughter bubbling inside of me. I wanted to dance, sing, laugh, cry. I'd never felt so incredibly happy in my life.

"Now, Angel, I'm going to kiss you again. Try not to abuse me, kay?"

My heart beat in my chest like a hummingbird. "I like the sound of that."

Brady's lips found mine quickly, but the kiss was not as fast-paced. It was slow, gentle, pleasant. For the first time there was no rush. Brady could take his time without worrying that I was going to start hitting him. He twisted one hand into my curls and placed placed the other on the small of my back to keep me close. For the first time, the height difference between Brady and I really struck me. He must have been eight or nine inches taller than I was, and it was apparent in the way that he was bent down and I was on the tips of my toes. Quil was even taller than Brady and Claire was shorter than me—how the hell did they make it work?

_Oh yeah, like this! _I giggled and kicked my feet off of the group, twisting them around Brady. He smiled into my mouth and supported me as I locked my legs around his waist.

"I've trapped you," I informed him with a chuckle, placing chaste kisses all over his face.

"Oh really?" Brady asked, inclining an eyebrow endearingly. His voice was pure sex. I tried not to shudder. I failed.

Then the world tilted alarmingly and my back was suddenly pressed into the sand. Brady hovered above me, smiling mischievously. His hands rested on the sand on either side of my head and his face was just inches above mine. "Who's trapped, again?"

Rather than answer, I grabbed him by the hair and brought his mouth crashing back to mine. This kiss was less slow, less sweet, less soft. This was the tongues-moving, hands-roaming, "holy-shit-when-was-the-last-time-I-took-in-some-o xygen?" kind of kiss that had occupied my dreams for months.

And I didn't care that my hair was so caked with sand and tangled from Brady's hands in it that I'd need to shower a second tonight. I didn't care that breathing didn't seem to be very high on Brady's priority list. I didn't care that my jeans would forever be stained from the sand. I didn't even care that I'd spent the last week wallowing in misery in my room. After all, Brady was right—I kind of deserved it after all the shit I'd put him through.

I was willing to leave all the negatives from the past year behind me. I was going to go into this new year as a new Eliza. A true Eliza. One who wasn't haunted by her past, one who wasn't afraid to love, one who didn't hide behind a mask. No more. I was just going to do what made me happy, consequences be damned. Which reminded me…

"I hope you wore your bullet proof vest tonight," I breathed as Brady's lips moved to my neck.

"Why is that?" He asked, sounding amused. I felt the vibration of his words on my neck.

"When my dad finds out about us, he'll likely shoot you," I said simply.

That didn't even faze him. In fact, he grinned stupidly. "So, that means there's an us?"

"I love you, remember? Keep up, Brady," I smirked, pushing him off of me gently and then situating myself on his lap.

His stupid grinned widened, and became even more stupid. "Did I mention I love you? Cause I do. I love you. A lot. Like, a whole lot."

"It may have come up," I shrugged, biting back a stupid grin of my own. Brady's lips wandered back to my skin, kissing my forehead, cheeks, nose, jaw, neck, collarbone. I gasped at the sensation of his lips and he laughed lightly, sliding his lips back up my neck to reunite with my lips. I couldn't help but melt into him.

Suddenly, a round of cheers and hollering filled the air.

_Oh great, _I thought angrily, pulling away from Brady as a group of our friends emerged from the trees. Had they been spying? _Nosy bastards._

"There's the lovebirds!" Lilly called out, on the verge of laughter.

"Hey Eliza! What's new?" Danny teased.

"Wait! That's Eliza? I didn't recognize her cause she was _kissing _Brady," Embry said before full-on cracking up.

My face reddened. _Come on, Eliza, gather some dignity. _"Well," I said, immediately earning the small group's attention. I stood up slowly, trying to brush some of the sand away from my body (though it was a hopeless effort). Brady did the same, looking embarrassed but still incredibly happy. I almost kissed him again, just for being so damn cute. "It is my duty to inform all of you that you have _horrible _timing." _Chin up, stay cool._

"The worst," Brady added. He glanced sideways at me and smirked. My knees nearly buckled. I wanted nothing more than for everyone to leave so I could kiss Brady for oh, a few more hours at least.

"Oh, we interrupt something?" Collin asked, a very smug smile on his face. I wanted to punch him. My new happiness did not erase Collin's earlier dick behavior.

"Kind of. I mean, can't a girl make out with her boyfriend in peace?"

"Boyfriend, huh?" Collin lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes, Collin. Did you not hear my girlfriend correctly?" Brady wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him. The euphoria of being in his presence still hadn't worn off.

Collin's serious expression broke, and he smiled proudly, "You're welcome."

"For what?" I sneered.

"Are you kidding?" Collin practically yelled, "Do you know how much time Lilly and I dedicated to getting you two fools together! I've been working my ass off to—"

"Come on, Collin," Lilly interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let them be happy." I watched Embry's eyes sear into Collin's back. He must have too, because he stepped away from Lilly and toward Brady and I.

"Screw happy, I want a thank you," Collin demanded. Despite my lingering anger at him for his rude comments, I wasn't able to really be mad at him. I smiled and rolled my eyes dramatically.

"Thank you, Collin. Thanks for ditching me the night of the dance, abandoning me on our fake date, hassling me about my private life, and coming into my room at unreasonable hours of the night. What would I ever do without you?"

"I think I picked up some sarcasm in that comment, Blondie," Collin noted, "But I'll take it." We smiled at each other and I stepped away from Brady to hug him. Lilly was just a few feet away, so I decided to hug her, too.

"Sorry I've been such a bitch lately."

"Lately?" Embry snorted.

"Shut up, Embry!" I snapped.

Lilly's smile was as pure and warm as always. "Sorry I schemed with Collin behind your back."

"Sorry I made you sit at the same lunch table as Camille," I added as an afterthought.

Lilly pulled away and giggled, "Oh, _that _will never be forgiven!"

Beside us, Brady and Collin were exchanging a silent conversation of grins and knowing looks.

Among the group, I noticed Annie. She looked quite smug as well. When our eyes connected, she mouthed four words. "I told you so."

I blushed and nodded. "Thank you," I replied soundlessly.

"So," Danny said, clapping his hands together. "Now that this little love-fest is all wrapped up, can we go back to the party. There are fireworks that need setting off."

"He's like a twelve year old," Mia shook her head.

We all started to make our way back to the fire. I lingered momentarily, letting Brady and Collin catch up. Brady took my hand, intertwining our fingers without saying anything. I beckoned him to come closer with my available hand. He complied.

"Come to my room tonight," I whispered into his ear, feeling a smile reshape my lips. "We can pick up where we left off."

Brady nodded, a mischievous grin lighting his face.

"We heard that!" Embry hollered.

"Good!" I replied smartly.

"Don't tell me you two are going to be one of _those _couples," Nolan groaned. "It's enough that we have to deal with Jake and Nessie."

"And Quil and Claire," Collin added.

"And Seth and Annie," Mia reminded.

"Hey!" Seth whined, "I resent that!"

I laughed. It felt so good to laugh. To be free.

"I have to run patrols with Brady tomorrow, great. I'm going to have to kiss Eliza a hundred million times," Collin groaned.

"Wouldn't be the first time, right Collin?" Embry teased.

"I'm going to kick your ass, Embry!"

Brady perked up, "Speaking of ass kicking, that reminds me. Collin, you're my best friend dude. I love you. But if you ever kiss Eliza again I'm going to display your head on the mantel and feed your body to leeches."

"That sounds kinky," Danny called back to us. The pack: where privacy was not a right, a privilege, or a possibility.

"Wouldn't dream of it, bro. Trust me. Actually, I think I may pursue the cute little Latina girl. What's her name again? Gaby?"

"NO!" Danny yelled, "I already called dibs! You can have Camille! Hell, you can have my sister!"

"What?" Mia and Collin yelled in unison.

"I totally ship it," Lilly giggled to herself.

"What the fuck is a ship?" Collin demanded as we left the trees behind and approached the bonfire once again. Brady came to a stop, and I did the same. The rest of the group continued on, arguing, joking, whatever. I could care less. Everything was just backdrop to the perfect picture. Brady. Me. Us. Together.

Perfect.

"So… I'm running a patrol tomorrow morning," Brady began, "and then how about you let me take you out on our second date."

"Okay," I told him, my voice barely a whisper. He brushed his fingers through my hair, chuckling as grains of sand fell from it.

"I'm a mess, I know."

"You're beautiful, my little beautiful mess" his lips captured mine for another heart-stopping kiss. I twisted my fingers into his shirt. I could so, _so _get use to this.

Sure, nothing was permanent. I knew that. There was a chance that I could get my heart broken in the end. I was risking my heart for this boy.

But life is a risk.

I'd spat in the face of hybrids. Stood up to girls who would always be evil. Thrown myself between my sister and a vampire.

And now I would throw myself into love.

I didn't know what would happen years from now. Hell, I didn't even know what would happen tomorrow. But here… Now… I was absolutely, unreasonably, perfectly, happy.

And that was enough.

"Eliza! Eliza Young what the hell do you think you're doing?" My dad screamed from down the beach.

_Uh oh. _Time to face the music.

Though, with Brady, I felt like I could face an entire symphony.

* * *

><p><em>Claire<em>

"What is it, Claire? What do you want to show me?" Mason asked for the eleventh time as we approached the party. I just smiled and shrugged, checking the time on my phone.

"You'll see." Any minute now.

"I'll have you know, I hate surprises."

"Patience, young grasshopper."

We were close enough now to everyone that their voices floated over to us. Laughter filled the air.

"I'm serious, Claire, what's the big—" his words cut off abruptly. From the shadow of the trees appeared a petite woman. Her dark hair was pulled back into a twist and she had that kind of beauty that would probably last until she was ninety.

We locked eyes momentarily, and she smiled. Mason stared at her in utter shock. "Mom," he whispered in awe.

And then he was running. Not crazy werewolf on a mission running, human running. Human sprinting. My smile grew wider as I followed after him at a much, much slower pace. By the time I reached them they were already embracing.

"So will you move back in with me, Mason?" Clarice Ateara asked, looking up at her son.

"But—but—" he looked back and forth between his mother and I, trying to make sense of what was happening. "How?"

"On the first day of school you pointed out where your mom lived, remember? We passed by it every day. So, I stopped by to talk to her and… explain things."

"Explain?"

"Oh yeah, I told her that you pee on trees and bark at cats and howl at the moon, all the good stuff," I joked.

"But—but the secret! The secret!" He seemed unable to form actual sentences in his state of shock.

"I talked to Old Quil first, of course. He's her father, you're his grandson, how could he say no?"

"I am so sorry, Quil. If I had known— all this time you were just— I feel terrible. I hope you can forgive me one day…" Tears gathered in Claire Ateara's eyes.

"Don't apologize, Mom. You didn't know," Mason said, brushing a tear off of her cheek as it spilled over.

"I know now. You're an amazing young man, do you know that? Saving people, being there for your friend, going to school. I'm so proud of you."

"Yes," he said.

"Yes what?"

"I'll move back in with you, Mom." They hugged. Mason looked rather emotional himself, but her tried to hide it.

"Thanks, Claire," Mason smiled, turning to me. "Really, thank you."

"What are friends for?" I said. "Anyway, I'm going to let you two catch up. See you later?"

"Bet on it," Mason promised. I walked away, leaving mother and son to their reunion. I turned my back to the party, heading toward the ocean. Waves crashed loudly against the sand. In just a few minutes, a new year would be crashing in with it. Midnight was rapidly approaching.

The dark and infinite ocean had always seemed sort of menacing to me as a kid, but now I couldn't help but notice the beauty in it. How the waves could be so constant, but different at the same time. Some were massive, destroying the shore, while others were gentle and small. But no matter the size, there were always waves. There was always going to be waves. Nothing could change that.

"It was a nice thing you did, just now."

I didn't turn to the voice, I already knew who it belonged to. If we were in a room with thousands of voices, all calling out to me, I would still pick out his voice. It was the most familiar sound my ears had ever known. Quil.

My stomach lurched. The easier part of the night was over. Now it was time for the real work.

"Yes," I replied, my voice sounding far too formal to be speaking to someone as familiar as Quil. He moved closer, and suddenly he was in my peripheral. I didn't turn to him. I was afraid to.

"I mean, Mason's all right, ya know? I give him a hard time, but he means well. Usually."

"I kissed him," I blurted without thinking. "On Christmas Eve. We were under the mistletoe and I kissed him."

I flinched, terrified as I anticipated his reaction. What the hell was that? What happened to my perfectly rehearsed speech? _Damn it!_

I waited for the yelling.

Quil didn't yell.

That was worse. He was too angry to even speak, then? _Damn it all to hell._

_Say something! Apologize! Grovel._

But I couldn't find any other words.

And I still couldn't look at Quil.

A week away from him and I couldn't look at him. I wanted to pull him into me, to kiss him and hold him and take comfort in his presence. But that seemed like a far off dream now.

A minute later, when Quil finally responded, his answer surprised me. "I already know," he said, letting out a big breath.

"It was a mistake. A huge mistake. I love you, Quil. I love you and I want to be with you. I don't want to be with Mason, I've never wanted to be with Mason. I just . . . I don't know I wasn't thinking straight. I had confused emotions about him. But kissing him un-confused them. You are my heart, Quil. You're everything and—wait, you know?" I whipped my head to finally look at him, my hair flying out behind me as I did.

"I know that you kissed him," his voice was even, calm.

"How?" I asked, my voice no more than a shaky little whisper.

"Well, I may have accidently on purpose overheard your conversation with him a few minutes ago. Because I may or may not have been following you," he smiled guiltily.

Confusion. That was the only word that described what was going on in my brain at that point. Where was the shouting? The anger? The betrayal?

"Aren't you furious with me?"

"Actually, I'm in a fantastic mood. You dumped Mason. _And _he doesn't have to live with me anymore. Though honestly, Claire, I wish you could have told me a week ago instead of pretending to be sick. I've been missing you like crazy," he took my hand.

"I—I was terrified that you would hate me," my voice cracked and tears formed an uncomfortable lump in my throat.

"How can I hate you, Claire?" Quil said softly, giving my hand a squeeze. "Yeah, I briefly entertained the idea of feeding Mason his own feet and then throwing him in the ocean, but what would be the point? At least now all of your conflicted feeling are settled. _And_ I got to watch you break up with Mason, which made me immensely happy."

"I didn't break up with him, we were never dating."

Quil shrugged, "Doesn't matter. At least now we're even."

"Even?" I asked.

"When you were seven I kind of sort of made out with a girl at a club. And I also had a girlfriend before I met you."

That was news to me, but I wasn't going to say anything. I couldn't blame him for dating before he knew me, and fourteen years _was _an awfully long time to go without any female interaction. Especially a perpetually teenage boy.

"I'd hardly call us even, Quil. Not that I'm complaining, because I'm ecstatic right now, but why are you so okay with this? Just a few weeks ago me simply sleeping near Mason sent you into a fit of rage and now—"

"And now I realize that it doesn't matter how close you and Mason get. You're mine and I'm not going to lose you to some kid. Though, if you could not kiss him again that would be ideal."

"Oh, Quil," I sighed, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him down to kiss him. He kissed back, hooking his fingers through my belt loops and pulling me flush against him. Being in his presence was intoxicating after our separation and passing out seemed like a huge possibility.

"I love you, Claire. I love you. Forever," he finally said when I had to pull away to suck in a gulp of air.

"I love you too, Quil. I want you to know that I never doubted my feelings for you. Ever. You're the one."

He smiled, brushing a long lock of my hair behind my ear and stroking my cheek simultaneously. "Think your dad will let you stay over at my house tonight?"

"Oh absolutely not, pervert" came the voice of my father from less than ten feet away.

Quil didn't release me, he didn't even seem mortified that my father had overheard the end of our conversation. He just grinned. "Oh, come on Anthony," he said, "You know I'm not a pervert. _And _you're glad that Claire has someone like me who will always love her and be there for her."

"I wouldn't go that far . . . Quil." He said Quil's name without scowling, which I took as a major milestone. "But I suppose that you aren't the worst person in the world for my daughter to be with."

"So can she please stay over at my house? Just for tonight"

"Can you bring my underage daughter to your house where the only supervision is that Call kid? No way. That is not the kind of environment I want my Claire in."

"But," he continued hesitantly, as if was unsure whether or not he should utter the next words, "You can stay at our house. Permanently."

Surprise rocked me to the point of almost falling backwards. Quil appeared equally shocked "Excuse me?" he asked.

"I may not particularly like it, but I know that you and Claire are going to continue to see each other with or without my consent and clearly neither of you have any regard for the law so… if you're going to continue to always be around each other, I'd rather it be under my roof than yours. We have an extra room, next to mine. You can live with us if you want, and see my daughter as much as your heart desires, but in _my_ house. Not yours."

That definitely tied with the first time Quil kissed me for the most unexpected moment of my life. Quil and I living together? Under the same roof? And my dad would allow it? Sure, it was _his _roof and not ours but beggars could hardly be choosers.

Quil stared at my dad like he had just done a back flip and landed flat on his feet. "You're serious, Anthony?"

"Do you want me to change my mind?" Dad replied impatiently.

"No! No, Sir!" He stumbled forward awkwardly and began to shake my father's hand vigorously, "You can trust me, Anthony! I won't let you down."

"Yeah, yeah, no having sex with my daughter in my house or I take everything back, got it?" Dad looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Of course not, Sir. No. I wouldn't think of it. Thank you, Anthony," Quil's smile was so huge that it had to be painful.

"You're the best, Dad," I exclaimed, running forward and throwing my arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Well I—" Something caught his attention on the other side of the beach, making his words drop off mid-sentence. Quil and I both turned to see what was happening and lo and behold, there was Eliza, connected at the mouth with Brady.

Dad's face turned an all-too familiar shade of red and suddenly I became the golden child. "Eliza! Eliza Young what the hell do you think you're doing?" Dad yelled, charging over to them.

Brady took his lips off of my sister, but kept his arms around her as my father stomped over there, yelling all the ways he was going to kill Brady in his sleep. Brady tried to give Dad a friendly smile, and when that failed he released Eliza and raised his arms up in surrender. I turned away, chuckling to myself.

"Looks like we just became the least of your father's worries," Quil whispered into my ear. Just like that, I forgot all about Eliza and her new boyfriend. I leaned back into my own wonderful boyfriend's chest, drinking in the pure bliss of the moment.

"Looks like it," I said, biting back a smile.

"I love you," he reminded me, spinning me to face him and lowering his head so our noses brushed each other.

I closed the tantalizing gap between our lips. As we kissed, fireworks exploded.

No, really. Fireworks exploded.

"Happy New Year!" I heard Collin yell. Quil and I both turned our faces up to the sky and watched as fireworks of every color lit the sky. Just like that, 2019 had ended. The year I turned sixteen. The year I found out about werewolves. The year that Quil and I started dating. The year I lost my virginity. The year I almost died about three times. The year my father returned. The year I was stalked by a vampire. The year I fell hopelessly in love with Quil Ateara. Overall, a pretty fair year.

And I had launched into the next one in the arms of the man I loved . . . Holding him. Kissing him.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Happy New Year, Quil," I whispered.

"Happy New Year, Claire," he kissed me quickly again. Fireworks continued to shoot into the sky—courtesy of Sam and Jared—illuminating the beach with its dazzling array of colors. I noticed that Eliza was back in Brady's arms, my father nowhere in sight. Most likely he went home to get his gun. I laughed again. It would be nice to see Eliza get a little heat from our father for once.

The entire beach was a perfect picture, the kind I wanted to preserve forever in my memory. The kids chased each other across the sand and laughed as the fireworks continued to shoot into the sky. Rachel and Paul held each other. Grayson and Leah—apparently no longer keeping up the pretense of not liking each other—shared a kiss as they sat on the driftwood by the bonfire. Jamie sat beside Jared and Kim's daughter Lola, which if my memory was correct probably made Jamie quite happy. Collin, Mia, and Danny had engaged in some epic sand war. Collin and Mia against Danny. Mason and his mother spoke animatedly to each other, no doubt catching up after so many months apart.

And further down the beach, close to the surf, sat two figures, side by side. Lilly's hair looked completely white under the moonlight, and even though she was a good five inches taller than me, she looked minuscule next to Embry the Giant. I noticed his hand rested on top of hers in the sand, and their shoulders were rubbing. Their backs were to me, but I assumed they were talking. Lilly pointed up at the sky with her hand that wasn't touching Embry. My eyes drifted up to see what she was pointing at and caught the end of a glorious shimmering gold firework. When my eyes ventured back down to the pair, I saw Embry lean over to Lilly and kiss her on the cheek.

I elbowed Quil and pointed. He looked over just as Embry pulled away, but obviously got the gist of what happened. He gave me a sideways glance and grinned. I laughed and pulled him by his shirt color back down to my waiting lips.

And it really was a Happy New Year.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you so much to all of you for your continued support throughout this story. It's your reviews and positive words that motivate me to keep going. I have plans to post a bonus scene of Claire and Mason's mom's chat, so check my profile for that soon! Also, Embry and Lilly: It's Complicated will be starting soon so be sure to put me on author alert! And lastly, friendly reminder that Quil and Claire part III will be published separately and under a different title. I love you all! :) <strong>


	58. New Fic Posted! (Not an update)

**A/N: NO THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER YOU SILLY GEESE! THIS STORY IS OVER. This is just to let any of you who don't follow me as an author know that yes, Embry and Lilly: It's Complicated is officially in progress and the first two chapters are up. If you like my page on Facebook, Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two you'll get all kinds of updates on when I'm planning to post and maybe get a teaser every now and then. Anyway, if you plan on reading Quil and Claire pt. III when it's eventually posted (after It's Complicated) I highly suggest you read Embry and Lilly's story cause otherwise you'll be reaaaaally super confused. Love you all to death! P.S. It's my birthday in thirty minutes, I do accept reviews as gifts ;) **

**-Carlee **


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